Daddy's Monster
by rocket-queen98
Summary: S4—"As centuries passed Charlotte's mental state declined and she could not contend with her mind. As this happened, there were no more reports of her sanguinary deeds nor anything else, only tales of the monstrosity she was regarded as. Until Spike and Drusilla came upon her one night, drawn by screams and a compulsion to follow and, apparently, deemed themselves her parents."
1. i hear the voice of rage and ruin

**A/N Hi, everyone!**

 **I've wanted to do this for a while, a few years actually but I haven't had the time. I've been watching Buffy for as long as I can remember and, as i'm sure you can tell, I kinda fell in love with Spike. He was my first favorite character. Season 4 is set in 1999 so please bear with me if I kinda suck writing for such a long time ago but I hope I do all right.**

 **Also, there is no 'Big Bad' unless you count Lottie as one, which you could.**

 **If you don't like the idea of this story, please don't leave a review because it's not helpful to the person who spent a long time writing something only for someone to be cruel.**

 **Anyway, I hope you like it.**

* * *

 **Daddy's Monster**

 **.**

 **.**

 _She's got a smile that it seems to me, reminds me of childhood memories **  
**Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky **  
**Now and then when I see her face, it takes me away to that special place **  
**And if I stared too long i'd probably break down and cry_

 _Oh, sweet child o' mine. Oh, sweet love of mine_

 _She's got eyes of the bluest skies, as if they thought of rain **  
**I'd hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain **  
**Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place, where as a child I'd hide **  
**And pray for the thunder and the rain to quietly pass me by_

 _Oh, sweet child o' mine. Oh, sweet love of mine_

 **.**

 **.**

 **1199 A.D**

 _ **"Charlotte!"**_

 _Edward ran through the woods, yelling at the top of his voice for his Slayer. He whirled around, running backwards, looking out for a sign that could show him where his Slayer was. The Slayer, the most formidable yet rebellious Slayer that had been seen in recent generations, had run into battle surrounded with a clan of vampires and hadn't been seen for a while, a few days, to be precise._

 _Being rash indeed was her forte._

 _But this time it had been personal._

 _The vampires had taken her little brother captive and, in return, had wanted her._

 _"Charlotte?"_

 _He suddenly came to a sharp halt when the sound of ravenous growling echoed in his ears._

 _Dread creeping up his spine, Edward's breathing labored in nervousness as he slowly turned in the direction of the sound, breath catching in his throat when his eyes landed on a young woman hovering over a whimpering male._

 _It was Charlotte._

 _His Slayer was bestriding a young man against a tree and was ripping into his throat as if a woman starved, uncaring if the flesh tore beneath her fangs, attention solely focused on the blood running through his veins. He gasped as he looked at the dozen corpses scattered around for him to regard. Each had several bite-marks on their body mostly on their throats and wrists._

 _And, sprawled on the drenched grass, lay her ten-year-old brother. His eyes were still wide open and clouded filled with horror, his pale face streaked with blood._

 _Little Lukas._

 _He covered his mouth at the stench of death, and he floundered backward, staring at his Slayer._

 _She was feeding as if she were starved._

 _"Charlotte?"_

 _His Slayer snarled as she got up from the body, turning around in the direction of the sound, stumbling slightly. Her dark eyes met his own, but the light that had been there before was no longer. She had tears in her dress and was covered in blood from head to toe. Mud discolored the once white dress and, beside her, he could see a shallow grave that she had risen from._

 _His eyes widened, and he swallowed the lump in his throat as he finally met her gaze._

 _"Edward! My dear Watcher!"Charlotte sing songed, holding out her arms, blood dripping from her chin when she smiled."Finally, you have found me. It took you long enough!"_

 _Twirling around in a circle on her bare feet, Charlotte dramatically gestured to the corpses with a shameless smile._

 _"Forgive me, but there is no more food left to share, but we can go looking for more."_

 _What had his Slayer turned into?_

 _A Slayer turning into a vampire? That was unheard of._

 _"Charlotte? What have you done? You have fed?"_

 _"Of course. It is known that if you don't feed, you die."Charlotte tittered, shaking her head with a laugh, as if his words seemed ridiculous to her."I do not want to die."_

 _"This..."Edward stared at his Slayer in horror, pointing at her with a disgusted curl of his lip."is an **atrocity**. You were not meant to take this path. You should have accepted your fate."_

" _Think about the power. The power, Ed."She completely disregarded his words, holding her hand to her chest in wonder."The power is unbelievable. I can feel it flowing through me."_

 _Edward merely offered a head shake in return. This wasn't his Slayer._

" _I feel like i'm flying."Charlotte carried on, holding her arms out and flailing them around as if she believed she'd take off."My Slayer energies have not deserted me, and these newfound ones that grace me with being the undead is...well, it's magical."_

" _A blend of both. A hybrid."Edward murmured to himself in horror, voice cracking as he staggered, the wind knocked out of him."You...You can't be allowed to live. You're an abomination!"_

 _Hand shaking and tears welling in his eyes, Edward's hand tightened around the take in his hand, and he did not hesitate before surging towards her. She was not the girl he once knew, she was nothing short of a beast._

 _He cried out in anger, rearing his hand back and prepared to drive the stake into her heart. Only to suddenly find it difficult to breathe as his vision became blurred and, with a forceful weight pressing against his chest, Edward found himself staring at the sky above._

 _"Amazing, no?"_

 _Charlotte's words echoed in his ears and Edward blinked rapidly, the sky abruptly out of sight and replaced with a wicked smile and glimmering eyes. Dress billowing in the breeze, Charlotte smiled down at her watcher, swaying from side to side._

 _"I'll miss you."_

 _She kissed her fingers and leaned down, ignoring or not noticing how he trembled, still holding the stake tight in his hand but unable to find the strength to wield it._

 _"Thank you..."Charlotte crooned as she pressed her fingers to his cheek, lingering a moment before straightening, gaze trailing over to her brother."Ensure he has a lovely send-off, will you?"_

 _The last thing he saw was her sweet smile, bared fangs and lips painted red._

 _And then, she was gone._

* * *

 **Present—Sunnydale**

" **The apartment is furnished with all the extravagances money can purchase, and, while the asking price may seem dismaying, i can guarantee that your view of Sunnydale will be wonderful..."**

The realtor gestured to the darkness outside, the moon hovering over the town radiantly."...especially at night, as you can see, it's a beautiful view."

A young blonde realtor turned and smiled at the potential renters, clipboard hugged against her chest as she, obviously feigned, smiled at them. A dozen pair of eyes trailed over the inside as many personages lingered at the doorframe, bunched together and quietly conversing.

It held two bedrooms, side by side but they looked very spacious. The living room was connected to the kitchen as well as the dining room, making for one large and spacious layout. There was also a step out balcony through some french doors that could be used a night view of the town.

"So, what do you think?"

A tall man, around 6'1, sauntered further into the apartment, leaving his other male friends standing at the door. He smoothed back his dark hair, standing at one of the many windows, staring out into the night.

"Question..."

He turned back to the woman with a raised hand, wagging his finger to and fro when she opened her mouth to speak, a smirk curving at his lips when she snapped her mouth shut.

"The windows, they are sun-proof, right? You did do what we asked for, did you?"

She nodded, letting out a shaky breath as he stepped closer, her silence no longer amusement to him. He loomed over the blonde, looking almost amused when she gulped.

"You did what we paid you generously for, yes?"

"Y-Yes!"She nodded once more and took a moment to compose herself before replying."Yes, your friends' particular sun condition has been taken care of."

Moaning in approval, the man reached out and took hold of her cheek, making her nervously laugh.

"I..."She tried to step away only to be refused when he tutted, his hold on her tightening."I don't think-"

His smirk swiftly faltered when, all of a sudden, the sound of heels hitting the hardwood floor made him pause and straightened, retreating away from the blonde.

"Lottie!"

Swallowing, the blonde's eyes drifted from the intimidating man and sought out the new presence, the aforementioned Lottie. She watched quietly as the crowd of men parted immediately, allowing a young woman to pass through. Donning a long, white dress that reached her ankles and a heavy leather jacket, the brunette's large brown eyes and innocent features had the relater breathing out a sigh of relief.

Relief that instantly turned into hesitance when Lottie's full lips curved into an eerie smile when she noticed the frightened expression on the blonde's face.

"Calvin."Lottie softly greeted, a quick smile appearing before it faltered when she looked at the woman."This is it?"

"Yes, it is."Calvin answered with a nod, holding out his arms and glancing around before he inquired."Everything's sorted."

"Lovely."She murmured, peering around before she pinned her gaze to the man."Homey."

"It's good enough?"

"It's enough."Lottie looked around the apartment, bouncing as she imagined what she could do with it before smiling at the male vampire in approval."You know your Lottie, it's why you're my favorite, Calvin."

Calvin bowed his head in reverence, mumbling a grateful reply that made Lottie's smile widen. She slowly entered the apartment further, a glazed look in her eyes when she noticed the moon shining through the windows.

"Beautiful."Lottie whispered in awe, reaching out and touching Calvin's cheek as she passed him."It's all yours. You make sure to share, i don't like it when my boys fight."

With that, Lottie abruptly stalked off in the direction of the nearest room, her swift exit informing Calvin that she was satisfied with the situation.

He waited for Lottie's bedroom door to slam shut before, his wicked grin returning, he turned to face the young woman once more.

"We'll take it."

The realtor huffed out a relieved sigh and gave Calvin a broad smile."Great!"

"Enough with the false pleasantries!"Calvin waved a hand at her, his yell making the woman flinch."You do not even _know_..."

Calvin trailed off with a dark chuckle, motioning to his men and beckoning them to enter. The realtor's heart thumped against her ribcage when the sound of shuffling made her breathing as Calvin's men entered the apartment.

"W-What? What do you mean?"

She shrilly squeaked when he was nearer than before, his hand taking firm hold of her chin and tilting her head up. She jumped when fingers brushed against her throat and winced when a growling noise resounded in her ears.

"You came in contact with divinity, and you didn't even take a second _look_."

The relator let out a fearful gasp when Calvin's tone turned harsh and turned, her eyes welling with tears as his men circled her with hungry snarls.

"Please! _Please_ , just let-"

Abruptly, Calvin snarled at her, unveiling his fangs and vampire face, and she let out a loud scream as several vampires lurched for either her throat or her wrists.

* * *

 **1890—Russia**

 _ **"They cry out for mercy, they cry out for mercy..."**_

 _Spike watched as Drusilla skipped ahead of him, spinning around with her arms stretched out in front of her, humming underneath her breath. He smiled, pure adoration in his eyes as the love of his life gazed up at the stars. He couldn't stop himself from beaming as she continued to dance, not bothered by how she seemed to other people._

 _She knew that he would kill anyone who looked down on her._

 _They had joined Darla and Angelus some time ago but, as usual, the two men had come to blows and Drusilla had decided that a pleasant stroll would settle things. Her daddy had a temper, she would always whisper, her daddy didn't like sharing his masterpiece and sometimes was a tad bit overprotective. Spike had protested at; first, he'd go up against Angelus any day of the week, but it had upset Drusilla as greatly as she adored her 'daddy' and wanted her two favorite boys to get along._

 _Only Drusilla could mark her Spike, it wasn't fun when others took part, not even daddy._

" _Spike!"_

 _Snapped out of his daze at Drusilla's call, the vampire opened his mouth to reply only to close his mouth swiftly when a resounding scream caught his ears._

 _"Brother, help me!"_

 _Spike turned around, his ears searching for more sound, lips curling up in amusement as he silently hoped there was to be some entertainment to pass the time. Drusilla, in awe, looked up at the sky and she and twirled around in a small circle as she murmured to herself._

" _Oh, do you feel it?"_

 _Brows knitting together, Spike curiously made his way over to Drusilla."Feel what, love?"_

 _Drusilla offered up no reply and as if on cue, the voice was heard again. Chanting filled their ears, the sound causing Drusilla to squeal happily as she bounced on her feet._

 _"Shhh..."Spike cocked his head, turning and trying to decipher which direction the voice was coming from."one at a time, please, one at a time."_

 _"...what the bloody hell is that?"_

 _"My present, of course!"Drusilla happily answered, rubbing her hands together, eyes sparkling with complete excitement."I've been so very good!"_

 _Spike hummed—the presence wasn't quite as welcoming as Drusilla seemed to think—and shifted from foot to foot, wiggling his fingers before he furled them into his palm, attention solely focused on the sounds. He listened as carefully as he could, eyes darting around and prepared to fight if the need called for it._

" _Coming!"_

 _At Drusilla's shrill yell, Spike spun around to look at his lover only to find her cavorting off in the direction of the screams._

" _DRU!"_

 _Shouting her name through clenched teeth, Spike rolled his eyes with a sharp exhale before he trailed after her, doing his best to catch up when she held out a hand behind her._

" _It's time to unwrap my pressie, love, come along!"_

 _Spike almost tripped over his own feet as he reached out."All right, all right! Wait up!"_

 _It didn't take Drusilla long to find whoever was shouting, she'd run straight in the direction and, without trouble, had located the cause of the yelling._

 _But what they found wasn't a sight they had prepared for._

 _A young woman, features hidden by a curtain of dark hair, was curled into a ball, her entire body shaking as she whispered to herself. The torn dress she donned, a dress that almost to barely covered her revealed bruised legs and bloodied arms, blood that Spike was almost sure wasn't her own._

 _A thought that was confirmed when he shifted his eyes from the woman to finally take notice dozen dead bodies that were scattered around her, their bodies were torn apart. Slowing his pace, Spike gasped in awe as he stalked over to the shaking woman who still had her arms locked around her legs and forehead pressed to her bruised knees._

" _Found you!"_

 _Drusilla all but lunged at the woman, for once unbothered by dirtying her dress as she kneeled beside the trembling form. With a series of elated whispers, Drusilla eased the woman into her lap, hooking a leg underneath her knees and her other around her waist. Drusilla paid no mind to the ramblings of the trembling woman; instead, she seemed more focused on holding her close, as if feeling compelled._

" _Hush, little baby, I heard you, and I followed. I'm here."_

 _Effortlessly, she scooped the woman into her arms, settled her on her lap and proceeded to cradle her. Drusilla brushed the woman's hair from her face, gasping in wonder as her hand clasped the woman's cheek before beaming at her even though her eyes were tightly closed._

 _"Wow."Spike mouthed to himself, eyebrows raised and eyes trailing over the corpses as he mumbled."I'm impressed..."_

 _"Brother?"She whispered with a whine, her eyes wide and, after a wince as if it had been a while, her gaze zeroed in on Spike."Is it really you?"_

 _Spike simply blinked at her and remained silent, feeling her gaze follow him as he circled her, coming to a stop behind Drusilla. He was right in her eyeline and indulged her a tilted head in response to her question but decided to keep quiet to allow Drusilla her moment._

" _Nicely wrapped."Drusilla breathily sang, her hands softly fawning over the young women, her eyes hooded when her shakes, almost instantly, started to subside."Pretty, pretty, pretty..."_

 _Spike crossed his arms over his chest as he watched Drusilla, expression softening when his sire relaxed against the woman, crooning to herself in an almost comforting manner. His love hummed a melody that seemed to calm the young woman as, in response to Drusilla's murmured encouragement, she allowed herself to release her legs._

" _Tell me..."Pausing in between her croons, Drusilla slowly leaned forward, the pad of her thumb stroking the other woman's cheek before she made her first query."Do you have a name?"_

 _Drusilla faintly brushed the pad of her thumb over the other woman's cheek and, as soon as she did, her eyes slowly opened again. Her pupils dilated when she gazed up at Drusilla, lips parting almost reverently and Spike felt a rush of pride soar through him at the sight._

" _Yes, yes, I do. I'll always remember."Nose scrunching up at the sensation of Drusilla's dar locks tickling her cheeks, the bruised woman slowly blinked up at Drusilla before she answered."Mother. My mother named me. She named me Charlotte."_

" _Hmm, a pretty name for a bundle of joy."_

 _Her brows furrowed at this and, as quick as it came, Charlotte's lucid moment was swiftly over when she suddenly started to tremble._

 _"The thoughts are spinning. Never lingering, always spinning and it's..."Charlotte's breathing labored, tears welling in her eyes as she desperately arched up into Drusilla."Make them stop. I can't think."_

 _Drusilla started to croon again, Charlotte's name being chanted in between pauses and began to rock to and fro, something that slowly silenced the pleas of what seemed to be a broken person._

" _Love, give us a tidbit."Spike gently intruded in on the moment and leaned down, hand clasping Drusilla's cheek from behind."What's troubling her?"_

 _"Her mind, love. It's like a playground."Drusilla gently answered with a frown, her words making no sense to anybody but herself as usual and resulting in Spike being even more puzzled."And i'm gonna play with her. Nobody special should play alone."_

 _Teeth grazing her bottom lip, Drusilla bounced on her knees, tilting her head up to peer up at him."Spike...?"_

" _Yes, ducks?"_

 _Turning her head, cheek rubbing against Charlotte's, Drusilla's grip tightened in the woman's dark locks, possessively holding her body tighter. Smiling against skin, Drusilla's free hand reached up and touched Spike's hand still on her shoulder._

" _She has Slayer blood."_

" _She what?"Spike bluntly inquired, confused and parting his lips to ask more, feeling somewhat piqued with himself that he had to question his sire."Truly? She's undead, she's a vampire. I can smell it."_

" _She's unique. Old."Drusilla mumbled and pulled back to get another look at Charlotte, hand cupping the other woman's cheek, smiling to herself when Charlotte mewled."Powerful. Her mind tells me lots of naughty things."_

 _Rounding the pair, now hovering over Charlotte, Spike breathily laughed in disbelief, slowly shaking his head as he tried to process the information. In spite of her ramblings, most that made no sense to anyone but her, Drusilla was rarely wrong._

" _Spike!"Drusilla suddenly yelled, eyes wide and glimmering with glee as she turned to face her lover, free hand reaching out and touching his cheek.."She names all the stars, too."_

 _"That can't be right."Spike hissed through clenched teeth, slumping down on his knees next to the pair, eyes closely studying Charlotte."A Slayer as well as a vampire? Never heard of it."_

" _She calls to me. To you."Drusilla caroled in delight, tilting her head up and gently kissing Spike's jaw, humming happily when he turned into the touch."And we followed. Searched. Her power roves round and round, tick tock and never stops."_

 _At this, Charlotte suddenly huffed out a croaked giggle, garnering Drusilla's attention. His sire turned to look at the woman nestled in her embrace and chimed in on the laughter. Spike pursed his lips, cocking his head in fascination as he watched the two women stare at each other._

 _He eyed them as they both tilted their heads, refusing or unable to break their eye contact. It was as if they were talking without saying anything. Their giggles grew shrill, resounding in the night air and, for some reason, a melody to Spike's ears._

 _The laughter slowly subsiding, Drusilla slowly to face Spike, petting Charlotte's hair with a broad grin._

" _Spike?"_

 _Spike instantly raised his head, eyes shifting to Drusilla, his eyes shining with constant ardor."Yes, love?"_

 _"I want to take her home."Drusilla bluntly stated, the beaming smile still on her painted lips and eyes still glimmering with delight._

 _Straightening, on his knees, Spike released a tentative sigh."Dru, she's unique."_

" _Like me."Drusilla innocently drawling, holding Charlotte closer, hand reaching out for Spike."Lifetimes apart but the same."_

 _Spike took the outstretched hand with a murmur of her name and placed it on his cheek, covering it with his own._

" _If she's as old as you say she is, then surely she can keep going on her own."He chose his words carefully, aware that he'd never seen his sire in such a state of wonderment and delight and while intrigued with Charlotte to the point he felt a pang in his chest, he needed to act in their best interests."She's gotten this far."_

 _Drusilla let out a whine, her lower lip jutting out, looking down at the ground with a distressed expression._

 _An act that always brought Spike to his knees._

" _Love, you do realize that this is a big responsibility, right?"Spike murmured in a tone that made Drusilla look up at him, tucking stray hairs behind Drusilla's ear, index finger trailing across her jawline."This isn't just a cat's paw or a pet, Dru. She's unique, you said so yourself."_

" _Just like her mummy."Drusilla mouthed to herself, lashes fluttering when Spike's thumb pressed down on her bottom lip to keep her attention and, after snapping her teeth at him playfully, she requested."Let me take her home."_

 _"And you'll take care of her. All the other pets-"_

 _Drusilla cut Spike off by claiming his mouth with her own, swallowing the contented snarl he gave when she kissed him hard and fast, teeth nipping his bottom lip until he complied with her silent demand and parted his lips._

" _She's not a pet, my sweet, she's my baby. Our minds are connected. Mummy will take care of her."Drusilla gasped when she pulled back, nuzzling against Charlotte with a content purr, eyes still fixed on Spike."Our baby."_

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Again, if you don't like the this story, please don't leave a review because it's not helpful.**

 **If you do like it, please review because adding more depends on the feedback.**


	2. my friends, the show must go on

**A/N Thank you all for reviewing.**

* * *

 **Lottie's Apartment**

 **"What's your name?"**

Calvin leisurely circled the middle-aged woman who calmly stood in the middle of the apartment, unresponsive to their close proximity and other vampires that were watching her closely, far too hungrily. She forced herself to remain composed, a worn grimoire clutched to her chest. She winced as she felt his breath on her neck when Calvin came to a stop behind her, making her heart speed up in nervousness and slight fear.

Biting her lip to bite back a whimper, the witch swallowed thickly, daring to glance out of the corner of her eye as Calvin rounded her again before coming to a stop in front of her.

"Deborah."

"Deborah."He echoed with a hum, mouthing her name a second time as his eyes met hers once more."Why are you, a powerful witch, willing to help Lottie?"

She replied without a second thought.

"She's one of the oldest, a great population of the vampire community leads back to her. Not to mention that she is a hybrid, the only one in existence, something that comes with great power." Deborah sternly answered, bowing her head as a sign of respect."I wish to help, and in return i want protection."

"And you sought me out because..."

"She favors you over the rest of her horde. Her eldest _son_ and she values your opinion."Deborah pretended not to notice the warmth flooding Calvin's eyes at son, clearing her throat before adding."So, _please_ , take her out so that we can finish this."

Calvin pursed his lips with raised eyebrows, looking almost amused at her polite demand before he suddenly stepped away from the witch, noticing her flinch at the quick movement.

"You flatter me. Predictable."Calvin said under his breath with a roll of his eyes, turning from the witch and slowly making his way over to Lottie's doorframe, leaning against it before rapping on the door twice."Boss?"

Calvin, Deborah as well as the several vampires scattered around went quiet as the sound of crooning reached their ears. A moment later Lottie appeared, donning a crimson dress with a black hem, nothing on her feet and almost engulfed in a heavy leather jacket. It draped over her hands, hiding them in the sleeves and Lottie looked nothing less than content inside of it, a present Spike had given her n the late eighties.

"Hello!"

Lottie glided gracefully, a bounce in her step as she neared the group, Calvin pushing off of the doorframe and following her once she was in his eye line.

"You brought me something home?"

They all made a sound of confirmation, bowing their heads as Calvin came up beside Lottie, falling into step with her before motioning to Deborah.

"Boss, this is Deborah. Our witch."

He beckoned the witch to come closer, and she did, the nervousness she'd felt since she entered clear to read on her face.

"Charlotte."

"Lottie."She corrected in a disapproving voice, eyes clouding for a moment."My name is Lottie."

Lottie scanned the witch from head to toe, fingers furling in the lapels of her leather jacket before she tugged it closed, hugging herself almost defensively.

Peering up at Calvin, Lottie slouched against his shoulder."She's going to find what I lost?"

"Yeah, she's going to help you."Calvin promptly answered, clamping a hand down on Lottie's shoulder to calm her when he noticed the growing excitement in her eyes."She'll do a locator spell if you have something belonging to him."

Perking up instantly, Lottie looked on in awe."Oh, _yay_."

"But, boss, may I suggest that you test her to make sure?"Calvin turned to fully face Lottie, leaning down to murmur into her ear."Saying she's been acting coy is an understatement."

"Her heart only skipped a beat when you teased her."Lottie'slashes fluttered, head tipping back as she released a pleasurable sigh before she opened them again."She knows better than to play."

"Then do we have a deal?"Deborah valiantly asked in the firmest tone she could muster, trying her damnedest not to squirm when Lottie continued to stare at her."I help you find your d-daddy, and you, as well as your friends, help me?"

Lottie's eyes widened and glazed over at the mention of Spike before she, for a second time, cried out happily. She reached out and took firm hold of the witch, disregarding Deborah's hiss of pain when Lottie's tight grip on her hands caused pain to soar up her arms.

"Good day. It's a good, _good_ day. The thought lingers in my head, makes itself at home and lets me remember all the little stories she used to read to me."Lottie beamed at the witch as she twirled them around, chiming in with a giggle when the other woman cried out in fear."And... _and_ I can make out all the little tidbits she whispered to me in my ear."

Lottie released the witch carelessly, not noticing Deborah's staggering and carried on cavorting around and around, never tiring and gasping up at the ceiling as if she saw what others didn't.

"Uh, Lottie?"

Lottie suddenly stopped with a nonchalant wave of her hand but didn't return to her dancing and suddenly allowed herself to focus on the someone else's voice other than her own. She lingered beside Calvin when he encouraged her to listen to the witch and released her.

"Uh-huh?"

"D-Do you have something of his?"Deborah asked once she righted herself on her feet, blowing away strands of hair from her face."It'll make the spell go much smoother. More precise."

Lottie was quick to smile at the continuous mentions of Spike and, with a keen nod, she unlocked a simple gold chain from around her neck, revealing a thick, inscribed ring that dangled from it.

"No peeking!"Lottie tutted with a wag of her finger as she reached out, thumb brushing the words inscribed on the ring, placing it on the center of Deborah's palm."Your eyes don't have my twinkle, you can't peek."

Deborah was quick to nod to placate the other woman and turned back to the table that had everything she needed placed out. Candles, four crystals and a powder crushed in a mortar as well as the ring attached to the chain. Deborah did her best to ignore the pairs of eyes boring into her back as prepared herself and the things around her.

" _Thespia..._

The witch straightened, her hands meeting in front of her, restraining her hitched breathing until her heartbeat returned to its usual pace before she began to chant.

" _We walk in shadow, walk in blindness..."_

As she recited a few sentences in English that was of no entertainment to those around her, she suddenly began to speak in a different language, sometimes laced with English. Lottie watched, with shining eyes, springing on the balls of her feet, looking entirely fascinated by the colors that radiated from, colors only she could see.

"Somewhere over the rainbow is my daddy."Lottie peered up at Calvin, her bouncing becoming more excited and her voice rising to a pitch that signaled that she was only going to become giddier."I want to climb."

Lottie sharply nodded to herself and started forward, only to be stopped by Calvin who placed his hands on her shoulders and murmured into her ear. When her eyes were glazed over in euphoria, when she couldn't contain herself from bouncing, and her tone was sharp it meant she was in a mood that, unless she obtained or got to consume what had caused the mood, her glee would ebb away until all she could see was red.

And Calvin, while he couldn't keep her in the mood that had her mind lucid—as lucid as it could get considering she saw the brightest colors and tried to snatch them—could only coax her to keep still. Urge her to contain the excitement with promises of greater, even more, vivid colors.

"But I can't wait."Lottie protested, mercurial as ever and her eyes darkened something dangerous."Why is it taking so- _oh_ , look at that!"

The witch's head fell back, her brown orbs turning into a color they couldn't describe.

"Pretty."Lottie murmured, eyes bright.

Her chanting grew louder, the words falling from mouth quick and in a ramble that it was a surprise she had time to breath in-between them. Then the map started to burn at the edges, creeping closer and closer to the middle.

The delight in Lottie's eyes instantly faded and she released a horrified scream, reaching for Calvin with a desperate cry.

"Dancing flames, dancing flames but there's no partner. There's no daddy? No."Lottie shook her head fiercely, bottom lip quivering and her nails digging into Calvin's skin, almost slicing her way through."How can I dance with the flames when there's no daddy to lead?"

Her words, dripping with outrage and sounding menacing, mirrored what Calvin felt himself.

Still, he did his best to calm Lottie as he looked over at the witch, trying to gauge the situation.

"Give her a sec, boss."

Deborah suddenly let out a shrill scream, blood dripping from her nose and staggering before she fell to her knees. Everyone went quiet, the only sound that could be heard was panting that came from Deborah. She gasped for air, breathing in and out harshly as she trembled on the ground.

Nobody made a move to help her and, after a sharp look and a nudge from Lottie, Calvin made his way over to the witch.

"What's taking so long?"He demanded with a menacing tone, reaching down and aggressively grabbing the witch by the elbow, dragging Deborah to her feet."Boss is getting antsy-"

Deborah staggered at the force of his grip and reached up, wiping the blood from her face and roughly wrenching away from the male vampire. With a dangerous glint in his eye and a threatening step in her direction, Calvin snarled at the witch, only to come a sharp halt with Lottie clicked her tongue.

"It's okay, she's playing nice."Lottie held a hand out to the witch with an eager wiggle of her fingers."Gobble you up he will if you keep hogging the treats."

Deborah stepped forward, holding out Lottie's beloved necklace and, with a satisfied hum, Lottie reached out and snatched it from the witch, clasping it around her neck.

"Well?"Lottie instantly demanded after straightening her necklace, playing with the ring dangling from it, a feral glimmer in her eyes."Did you find my daddy?"

Deborah pursed her lips at Lottie's question and made her way over to the woman, slowing her pace before leaning down. Lottie turned when Deborah whispered her name and smiled when a familiar name was mumbled against her, simpering when the information followed.

"Oh, yeah."Lottie grinned slyly when Deborah pulled away, straightening and watching the hybrid closely."You found the breadcrumbs for me, clever girl."

Calvin sidled up beside his sire, glancing at Deborah as he inquired."What are we doing?"

"Fight the dragon and storm the castle, of course!"Lottie singsonged, clapping her hands together as she turned to face Calvin, garnering the attention from the other vampires."Come along!"

"You heard her!"Calvin motioned for the vampires to their stations, guiding his sire over to where the weapon cabinet was to oversee which ones they'd be using, tone softening when he inquired."How do you know she's telling the truth, boss?"

"'Because i'm unique, silly, I know emotions, expressions..."Lottie touched his cheek fondly, gliding away from Calvin with a simper, poking Deborah in the shoulder with a sharp nail, quirking a smile when the witch winced."Heartbeats."

She clapped her hands more sharply this time, and everyone began to load up their weapons. Deborah, in the midst of the chaos, rushed over to the hybrid when she noticed Lottie's attention was now more focused on the ring, her book clutched to her chest.

"Lottie, about our deal..."She stressed her words to gain Lottie's focus, offering the hybrid a ghost of a polite smile."you will keep your end of it, yes?"

"I'm a lady."Lottie blinked at the witch, the ring resting against her lips as she pecked it."Mummy did not raise me to act unladylike."

"The other witches..."Deborah trailed off with a hesitant sigh, her heart thumping against her ribcage."it's written about how you- _OH!_ "

Blood spurted from Deborah's mouth as she felt something squirming in her chest and her heart lurched. Unable to keep herself from forming words, all she could do was whimper as it became hard to extract air from her lungs.

Arching forward as the squirming in her chest suddenly felt as if it were squeezing, Deborah could hear the slowing beatings of her heart echoing in her ears and faintly heard the sound of squelching an, as soon as she did, her heart stopped thumping against her ribcage.

"My mummy raised me to appreciate the gifts of life."

Her eyes went wide, her vision blurred and she dropped the grimoire as she slumped against Lottie who muttered to her about being silent as she stroked her hair.

"Shh, shh, _shh_..."Lottie murmured in a soothing tone, cradling the younger woman as if she were a child, rocking her back and forth as she felt her life slip away."Lottie's here."

Lottie breathily giggled as Deborah huffed out her final breath, forehead lolling against hers as the witch's face went pale, color draining from her face.

"Thank you for your gift. You're a good girl."

Then, with a harsh wrench, Lottie wrest the heart from the witch's chest.

* * *

 **Giles' Apartment**

 **"We're out of Weetabix."**

The former Watcher sighed as he tapped the pen against his notepad, murmuring goodbye to Buffy before hanging up, exhaling another tired breath. Rubbing his eyes before putting his glasses back on, Giles stifled a yawn as he looked down at the notepad that was covered in scribbles. He had gotten barely sleep in the past week because of how much chaos had gone on in his town.

Deaths.

So many deaths that didn't fit a pattern, no matter how much he tried to figure it out.

" _Oi!_ Did you hear me?"Spike hollered from his place strapped to the chair, glaring at the younger male."We're out of Weetabix!"

"We are out of Weetabix because _you_ ate it all."Giles calmly riposted, slight irritation in his voice as he got up and walked over to his bookshelf, kneeling down."Again."

"Get some more."Spike curtly ordered, shifting uncomfortably as much as he could on the chair with a sullen frown."I'm bleedin' starving over here."

Giles wiped a hand down his face with an exasperated sigh as he pulled out a book, flipping through pages he'd already gone through and reassured the urge to let out a string of curses when he realized he had.

"I thought vampires were supposed to eat blood."

Shrugging, Spike winced as the ropes tightened around his ankles when he attempted to fold them, grinning to himself when he succeeded.

"I like to crumble up the Weetabix in the blood—"Spike huffed out a sharp breath when he finally felt somewhat comfortable after being stuck in the same position for hours."gives it a little _texture_."

Giles' head snapped up at that, and he sent Spike a disgusted look, pushing up his glasses with his pointer finger.

"Since the picture you just painted means I will never touch food of any kind again, you'll just have to pick it up yourself."Giles stood up, no book in hand and made his way back over to his desk then stopped, turning around, looking a little smug."Oh, wait, you can't!"

Spike snorted in wryly."Sissy. It's not like you got anything else to be useful for. Or _anyone_ else."

Giles spun around and glared at Spike with such irrigation that the vampire, who was peering up at Giles with the most innocuous, innocent expression he could muster—an expression that made Giles even more enraged—let the patently false he donned drop and allowed the callous glee flickering in his eyes to seep through.

"I have you know, that i'm _highly_ equipped at dealing with a stake."

Tongue running along his blunt teeth, Spike's smile faltered into his fabled wily smirk."Oh, Rupert, you got me quaking in my boots."

Giles glowered at the vampire and opened his mouth to retort, only to snap it shut when a sharp, shrill scream resounded throughout the foyer outside his front door.

A woman's scream.

A scream of complete and pure terror.

The ex-Watcher almost jumped out of his skin and let out a barely audible gasp while Spike sat comfortably in his chair, ankle still locked over the other, feet rocking to and fro and luxuriating in the dread radiating off of Giles.

"What was that?"

"...seriously?"Spike blinked up at Giles in disbelief, taking a moment to indulge himself in the fear clouding in Giles' eyes before he huffed out a chuckle."Almost five years as a so-so Watcher, you don't know the scream of a terrified bint about to be slaughtered by a..."

Spike trailed off when fists started to pound against the front door so stopped himself when fists began to beat on the door so insistently that the door started to shake in the doorframe. Giles all but jumped back, almost tripping over his own feet and catching himself before he fell.

"HELP ME, PLEASE!"A woman's voice, croaky from her screams and laced with sheer horror, rung in their ears."IT'S AFTER ME..."

Letting out a relieved sigh that it wasn't a vampire growling at his door and trying to break it down, Giles was quick to react to a damsel in distress. Rounding Spike, he grabbed one of the many stakes from the large wooden chest and crossbow, deftly loading it up.

He began to make his way to the door, only to turn back and look at Spike, the determination in his expression faltering somewhat.

"D-Do you want to h-help, perhaps?"

The vampire stared up at him expectancy, brows raised and seeming less than fazed by the plight they had been whirled up in.

"I'm a little tied up at the moment, mate."

Giles swallowed at his response and nonchalance, grip tightening on the weapons in his hands and cried out when the banging started up once more.

"HELP ME, PLEASE! _PLEASE!_ I CAN HEAR IT...IT'S COMING!"

Giles, again, was quick to react and proceeded to rush over to the door, unlocking the latches and turning the key, pocketing it quickly. He glanced out of the window then promptly opened up the door as much as he could to check outside, revealing a young brunette woman with tears running down her cheeks.

"Are you-"

"Thank you!"The woman gasped out with a watery sigh of relief, bloodshot eyes welled with tears smiled."I don't know...I don't know what happened, I was walking home and this man— _no_ , he was a beast! He jumped out at me and tried to bite me. I got away, but he chased me. I'm so sorry!"

"No, no, no, please! Are you hurt?"Giles didn't wait for a reply; instead, he quickly stepped back inside his home, looking over the woman's shoulder and arm outstretched just in case the vampire had followed her."C-Come in, please, I have a friend who lives a few minutes from here that can help."

He gestured to the inside of his home, waiting for the woman to enter, blocking the doorframe as he chanced poking his head out to double check that there was no immediate danger.

"Thank you so much!"Giles heard the woman say as she lingered behind him, the fear in her voice quickly subsiding in.

Giles retreated from the doorframe to glance back at the woman over his shoulder, managing a fatherly smile.

"Please, take a seat!"

Wiping the wetness from her cheeks, the woman offered Giles a winsome smile in response before she rotated on her heels, turning around to amble further into his apartment.

And her eyes doe eyes lit up in pure delight as her gaze zeroed in on Spike, who was looking down at his boots in a bored manner, slumped forward against the ropes. Lottie's breathing hitched at the sight of him and, with a skip in her step and a cheerful laugh, she frolicked towards him.

" _Daddy!_...you've been hiding from me!"

Lottie's smile broadened when Spike froze at her voice, instantly recognizing it and unconsciously responding it by slowly raising his head with a shaky breath, the tension alleviating from his shoulders. Lottie hummed low in her throat as she descended to her knees in front of the male vampire, hands clamping down on his knees and pulling at the ropes with a huff.

"But i found you."

A startled gasp left Spike as his eyes fixed on the female vampire, gaze flickering over the all too familiar features before settling on the beaming grin she directed at him.

"Lottie."He murmured to himself, it almost stifled by the jubilant laughed he bellowed, inclining as much as he could to close the distance between them."Baby..."

Lottie straightened on her knees to meet him halfway, reaching up to cup Spike's face in her hands before she tenderly kissed his cheek.

"Lost and found!"

Giles felt a rush of wariness cascade over him as an eerie giggle followed the statement and his mouth downturned into a deep frown. He inclined his head in confusion, instincts pointing out that there was no trace of fear in her voice and the tears had instantly stopped when she'd entered his home.

His door shut halfway, Giles' came to a sharp halt and slowly turned to face the woman, heartbeat speeding up when she noticed the smiles being shared between the two.

"W-What do you-"

He swallowed his words as his legs buckled, dropping the crossbow and struggling to stay upright as pain soared throughout his body. Giles' teeth ground together as he collapsed against his desk, books and phone clattering to the floor. Breathing coming out in short, sharp pants, Giles looked down at where the pain had started to see an arrow sticking out of his thigh, blood spurting from the wound.

"Oh, that...that is _not_ good."

Vision shaking, Giles turned his head when he heard a dark chuckle come from the doorway and his eyes went wide when he saw a handful of vampires stood outside his door, the ringleader holding a crossbow of his own.

"Boss, you gotta work fast. We ain't got much time!"

His vision glazing over as he slumped to the ground, Giles panted for breath as he tried to hold onto conscious, faintly hearing the sound of Spike chuckling and Lottie crooning as she keenly unbound the male vampire from his restraints.

 _Oh, bloody hell._

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **I hope you liked this chapter and if you did _please leave a review_ if you want to see more of this story.**


	3. to stand in her spotlight again

**A/N Thank you all for reviewing!**

* * *

 ** **Giles' Apartment****

" **She called him daddy?"**

Giles nodded with a sharp wince, pressing an ice pack to the bruise on his forehead as Buffy paced back and forth, muttering the many ways she'd like to pummel Spike before staking him. Willow was nursing the ex-watcher, hovering over him protectively, now tending to his bruised cheek after being placated when she'd noticed the bandages around his thigh that he'd taken care of it.

"Gross."

Giles watched Buffy stride back and forth; her knuckles pale white around the stake she gripped, apparently angry with herself that she hadn't gotten there in time. After a quick beat down when Giles, half out of it, had attempted to fire his crossbow at her, Lottie had disappeared with Spike and her infantry of vampires.

They'd been long gone before the gang had arrived.

"You sure it wasn't like _'hey, daddy-o!'_ , Giles?'"Willow nervously asked, trying to fill any more awkward silences, muttering an apology when she pressed too hard on Giles' cheek and earned a wince in response."'Cause that's less gross and more outdated."

"No, Willow, i'm certain of what I heard. And, from what I can remember-"The ex-watcher grimaced in pain as he stood from his seat and made his way over to his desk, waving off Willow's protests with a grateful but firm shake of his head."he greeted her with the name Lottie and then _baby_."

Rolling his eyes as he came out from the kitchen having made himself a well-earned sand-which after clearing up the mess Spike and Lottie had left behind, Xander made a revolted sound before taking a large bite.

"Wow, Spike and his girls sure have a daddy kink, right, Buff?"Xander chuckled as he made his way over to the couch, slumping down with a sigh."Must run in the family, right?"

"Xander."

"Huh?"Xander's smile soon left his face when Buffy arched an unamused eyebrow at him."Uh, I'll be shutting up now."

"Mmm-hmm!"Willow nodded in agreement, her high pitched tone showing just how uncomfortable with it."Good choice."

Paying no attention to the teenagers, Giles straightened on the couch and quickly got to his feet, earning him a scolding call of his name from Willow. He circled the couch once, muttering to himself as he made his way over to his massive stack of books. The older ones were separated from the others and categorized from types of demons to centuries to the dimensions he was aware of.

"I'm sure I've seen her before."Giles mumbled to himself as he crouched down beside his books, eyes flitting over the names, swallowing a groan that threatened to escape him."I'm sure of it."

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest as she turned just in time for Giles to snap his fingers in triumph, pulling a book out from the middle of the stack and not noticing when the rest fell to the ground. He promptly opened up the book, eyes skimming over the contents and shaking his head when the page he landed on wasn't what he was looking for.

"Giles, you need to rest."Willow rushed over to him when he swore underneath his breath, helping him get to his feet."Bad words only become a thing when you're in major pain."

"Yeah, you don't wanna drop dead if we're gonna go mano a mano with Billy Idol."Xander quipped, feet propped up on the coffee table as he made a reach for the remote he'd left propped on the arm of the couch before he'd left earlier that day."We need all the help we can get."

Giles simply glanced in the boy's direction with an unimpressed head-shake as he complied with Willow's demand and took a seat at his desk. She handed him his notebook and pen to which he thankfully smiled up at her for.

"I am grateful for your worry, Willow, but I have a feeling that strenuous research needs to be done. You need not fret while I read and scribble."

Willow just shrugged at him, pulled up a chair and sat down, handing him the ice pack with her famous 'resolute face.'

"How did she know where he was?"Buffy asked as she came to a stop behind Giles' chair, twirling her stake around her fingers."It's not like you run a vampire shelter."

"I'm not sure."Giles absently replied as he opened up the worn out book, bruised cheek resting on the icepack he held in his free hand, flicking through it with assurance that it was the correct one."However, I am confident that I've seen her before. I can't believe i aided...i'm a complete _pillock!_ "

Tearing his eyes away from the screen for a moment, Xander looked over the back of the couch at the older man.

"She's a vampire, Giles, they all start to look the same if you've seen enough."

"Ha!"Buffy snorted before she suddenly frowned glancing at Xander."Wait ,isn't that, like, vampire-racism?"

All Xander offered up in response was a half-hearted shrug."It's not progressive, but neither are the blood suck-"

"Aha!"The group jumped in surprise when Giles snapped his fingers a second time, sitting upright in his seat, the icepack fall to the ground."Oh, there you are."

Xander, Willow, and Buffy shared a look, the redhead leaning forward to look at the page as Xander jumped up to his feet and followed Buffy to hover over Giles' shoulder.

"What is it?"

The ex-Watcher offered up no response as he stared at the page he was currently reading, tip of his pointer finger skimming from left to right underneath the words. The teenagers didn't poke further for information as their eyes were drawn to a portrait at the bottom of the page. They all looked down at the worn out page, eyes zeroing on a young woman who stared back at them, dressed in a white, lace dress, ringlets framing her inscrutable face.

"Her name is Charlotte, but considering the nickname Spike coined, we can assume she is also known as Lottie. Here she was reported of back in the early twelfth century when someone came across her and placed her in what would become to be known as a sanatorium nowadays. She escaped the same day after dawn after attacking her captors, leaving behind a dozen with…"

Giles cleared his throat, trailing off as he skimmed over a part where the carnage was described in great detail and found himself unable to form the words.

"Love bites on their necks?"

"Thank you, Xander."Giles murmured, blinking several times to clear his mind as the words on the pages muddled together before he returned to his reading."Her last name is unknown and so is her true age, but after the watchers council started to collect research previously based on her, gathered together stories of her to figure out where she originated from, behavior patterns and…all in all, it is estimated that she is over nine hundred years old."

There was a long, drawn out silence after his statement.

"Jeez."Willow breathed into the silence, eyes flickering between her friends before she looked back at the portrait."She looks pretty good for nine hundred, which is expected because she's, y'know, a vampire."

Willow glanced up when she felt her friends' eyes boring into her and squeaked."I'll shut up now."

"Oh, no."

All eyes turned to Giles, Buffy's lips parting and a whine escaping her when she recognized the tone.

"Oh, no?"Buffy repeated with a cautious sideways glance at Xander who rolled his eyes, muttering something about _can_ _we have one week where our possible deaths_ _isn't_ _a headlining topic?_ "That's never good. What is it?"

"The Master was the only vampire known to be on par with Charlotte, they were, uh, kin of sorts and now that he's dead, it makes her..."

"Numero uno?"Xander interrupted to offer his help, pointing to Giles with a half finished sand-which."The big cheese? Top dog?"

"Yes, thank you."Giles cut in this time with a sigh, offering Xander a small, quick smile when the boy shrugged before returning his attention to the passage he'd been reading."After The Master died, Charlotte's repute has been regarded as that of supremacy."

"So? Vamps always think themselves the big gun."Buffy turned so that she rested against the desk, offering her ex-watcher a casual shrug."I fought The Master, and he's dust."

Giles looked even more worried at The Slayer's comment and shook his head at her."The Master was the oldest, yes, but Charlotte is an entirely different opponent, Buffy."

"Giles, come on."Buffy's smile slowly faded at Giles' expression and frowned at him."Giles, what is it?"

"Her age, her army nor her direful nature isn't only what attributes to her prominence. It's because Charlotte was—"Giles picked up the book and handed it to Buffy who took it with a puzzled, furrowed brow, eyes drifting from her ex-water to the passage he pointed at."still is in some sense—a _Slayer_."

Xander and Willow sucked sharp breathes when Buffy, eyes skimming across the words that confirmed Giles' words, dropped the book back on the table as if it had scalded her. Eyes shining with horror, The Slayer jumped to her feet, making a move to step away but found herself unable to and circled back.

"W-What?"Buffy drew out the word with a choked gasp, slamming her hand down on the desk and releasing her stake to uneasily tuck her hair behind her ear."That's impossible. Y-You said that she was a vampire. If she was a Slayer, she c-can't-"

"She's a blend of both, Buffy, a vampire and a Slayer. A hybrid, if you will. And once it became known that she was both, she became notorious."Giles gently replied as he carried on reading, offering his Slayer an almost apologetic smile, as if he himself felt he were at fault before he continued."Her strength, senses and the powers bestowed onto a Slayer and a vampire caused everything she was to become amplified."

The Slayer numbly nodded along, her arms hanging loosely by her sides, fingers itching to curl into a fist.

"Combining a Slayer's strength with a vampire's she became more agile, stronger, and more durable."The words Giles said resounded in Buffy's ears and drowned out the rest as her face drained of color."Things that, you know well, increases with as a vampire ages."

"That's not even the highlights, is it?"

"Please tell me it's the highlights."Xander pleaded as he descended down onto the ground by Willow's legs, slumping back against her."The ketchup and mayo combo is coming back to haunt me."

"Gross, Xan."Buffy commented, scrunching up her face with a mouthed 'blah!' before turning back to her ex-watcher."Giles, please, I gotta know the whole thing 'cause i'm kinda hoping that you'll come up with a fix-it to, you know, fix it!"

"As centuries passed Charlotte's mental state declined and she could not contend with her mind."All but collapsing back against his chair, Giles peeled off his glasses once again."As this happened, there were no more reports of her sanguinary deeds nor anything else, only tales of the monstrosity she was regarded as."

Buffy nodded along, taking the information and doing her best to process it, her grip clenching around the edge of Giles' desk as tight as she could without breaking it in half.

"Until?"

Giles swallowed thickly, bunching up the bottom of his sweater with his fingers so that he could polish his glasses, his brows knitted together.

"Until Spike and Drusilla came upon her one night, drawn by screams and a compulsion to follow and, apparently, deemed themselves her parents."

Reaching out, Giles turned the page he'd previously skimmed to reveal another portrait, this time if the three themselves. Dated in the early nineteen hundreds and, like the other, taken in black and white was a portrait Drusilla, Charlotte, and Spike.

Drusilla herself was seated in a chair, one of her dolls placed in her lap, and wearing a ghost of a smile. Spike stood tall and proud at her left and Charlotte was crouched in front of her, teeth bared and grin broad. Spike's hand a hand was clasped Drusilla's shoulder, her own atop of it and Charlotte's head lolled on Drusilla's lap, her hand claimed by Spike's free one.

"The first documented sight of the three was when a Slayer was killed in China, 1900 by Spike himself. Her watcher witnessed the death, the coward had hidden, and his last recorded entry before he abandoned his calling was that, after the slaughter, Spike had been accompanied by Drusilla and Charlotte. They celebrated by feasting on the girl's mother."

Giles recited the words he'd already memorized from his book without hesitance, trying his hardest not to let the hesitance or dread he felt evident in his voice to try and help the teenagers feel any ease that was possible. He doubted it, but he'd be damned if he didn't at least attempt.

"There's no fix it, is there?"Buffy forced a low laugh but her expression, solemn and without her usual smile, proved that she was anything but feeling jolly at the information she'd been given."So we're doing research? Insight? Your thing."

Buffy gestured to Giles' stacks of books with a hand, reaching out to pick out a random one and clutching it in her hand. All Giles could offer was a slow nod and a comforting hand on his Slayer's shoulder, promising that he'd do more research to find if there was anything that could offer them more insight.

"Okay..."

Rubbing his eyes tiredly and looking just as pale as Buffy did, Giles turned back to his book while Buffy followed Xander's lead and sank down beside her best friends, resting her head on Willow's thigh.

"I got a bad case of the dizzies right now."

* * *

 **1997**

" _ **Mummy?"**_

 _Lottie whimpered low in her throat as she stalked into Spike and Drusilla's darkened room, heavy curtains drawn shut and fastened with rope to ensure it remained that way. The sun was shining brightly outside, she could feel it, and it made her mood worsen. Nightgown billowing at her ankles, Lottie lingered at the doorframe before she ventured further into the bedroom, calling for Drusilla softly._

" _Mummy?"_

 _Her stomach churned when she got no crooning in response, something that seldom happened when she called for Drusilla. The woman acted swiftly in response to Lottie, they both did, and instead of their usual giggling and giddy dancing, there was nothing but silence._

 _She didn't like silence._

 _Still, a feeling of relief cascaded over Lottie when she heard shuffling on Spike and Drusilla's king sized bed, and felt the male vampire's presence. And, the second she did, Lottie all but rushed over to the bed, rounding it until she came to a stop at the other side, hovering over Spike._

 _Instead of calling for him, Lottie fondly stared down at the male vampire, noticing just how darling he looked as he slept._

 _However, he was troubled, she could sense that also._

 _He donned dark circles underneath his eyes, his body language could only be described as tense, and he seemed but comfortable. An outstretched arm clutched Drusilla's pillow for dear life, his cheek nestled into it. He must have fallen asleep without knowing; he had been exhausted from the entire ordeal with Prague._

" _Wakey, wakey. Rise and shine..."_

 _Lottie softly sang to herself as she reached out and brushed her fingertips down Spike's cheek, lingering to press down on a healing gash on his cheek he'd received while rescuing Drusilla. Flashes appeared in her mind, flashes of clawing into flesh and tearing off limbs to reach Drusilla, snapping the bones of the hands that had attempted to drive a Stake into Spike and horrified screams slicing through the air._

" _Don't like it."_

 _Lottie released a shaky breath as she pulled away from Spike's cheek, her hand clamping down on his shoulder to lightly shake him. She'd had a nightmare that had shaken Lottie to her core. So Lottie did whatever she did whenever she had a nightmare, she went to her parents._

" _Daddy..."_

 _Responding to the urgency in her voice and how it struck something within him, Spike's eyes promptly snapped open. With an enraged snarl as he listened out for any unwanted presences, Spike reached up and took Lottie's hand from his shoulder while he scanned around the room for any trespassers, ready to engage in battle._

 _When he felt no malevolent presence, he leaned across to the bedside table and flicked on the lamp, raising his head to see Lottie standing over him in her nightgown._

 _Her long dark hair was a bit disheveled, and her eyes were wide and wet._

 _A concerned look instantly appeared on his face as a tear ran down her cheek._

" _What's wrong, pet?"_

 _Lottie shifted from foot to foot, wrangling her fingers."I had a nightmare."_

 _He leaned against the headboard as he let his eyes roam over her, taking in her trembling body and her shining eyes, recognizing the aftermath. She usually had a nightmare around once or twice times a week, less than she'd had when they'd first taken her home, and whenever she did she would crawl in next to them, it had been that way for a long time._

 _Drusilla usually knew how to tend to her little Lottie with it as she and Lottie's mind, in their own words, were connected._

" _Oh, come here."Spike drawled in the most soothing voice he could muster, reaching out and taking hold of Lottie's hand, tugging her in his direction."What was it about?"_

 _"Dank, dangerous and dust."Lottie murmured in response, looking around the destroyed bedroom, remembering Drusilla's screams."No more Lottie and mummy, no more you and us, no more of our happy home."_

 _Spike swallowed thickly at the mention of the worst moments of his life and merely nodded, unable to form words._

 _"Where is she?"Lottie inquired, taking a seat on the edge of the bed, eyes trained on Spike's face."Is she better?"_

 _"She's playing with her dolls, pet. Kicked me out she did when Edith decided i was on time out. As happy as a sandboy."Spike casually replied as best he could, pausing to indulge in Lottie's simper at the thought of Drusilla scolding him before straightening and slumping against the headboard."I'm figurin' it out. She'll be all better soon, all right? Right as rain."_

 _She nodded slowly, grabbing his hand and tracing invisible patterns along Spike's palm before holding it against her chest with a calming croon._

" _Come on, love..."Spike beckoned her closer before reaching up and brushing her tears away."I can't have both of my girls not sleeping."_

 _Lottie smiled at him as best she could, nuzzling into his palm."Can I be the little spoon?"_

" _Goes without saying, doesn't it?"Spike huffed out a breathy chuckle as he shifted to the other side of the bed, Drusilla's side, and patted the mattress."C'mon."_

 _Lottie happily hummed and did what she was into the bed, pulling back the sheets and getting in beside him, shuffling down and burrowing herself. Spike did the same, draping the sheets over them both before shifting so that he was facing her. She turned around to meet him in return, shuffling so that she, inevitably, was sharing Drusilla's pillow with him and sighed when she felt arms entangling around her._

 _Murmuring to herself contently, Lottie made a sound of approval when the lamp was switched off and turned, nestling herself into Spike's throat. She sniffed, recognizing the grief and vacancy he felt, the former because of the helplessness he felt not being able to rescue Drusilla sooner and the latter because she wasn't with them._

" _It'll be okay. I'm your girl, daddy."Lottie mumbled against his cool skin, lashes fluttering against him as she shut her eyes."So's mummy, she'll be right again."_

 _Eyes heavy when she murmured that he could rest, Spike smiled when he felt Lottie press a kiss to his cheek._

" _I know, baby. Daddy knows."_

* * *

 ** **Lottie's Apartment****

 **"...still, I run out of time, or it's hard to get through."**

Perched at the edge of the bed clutching Spike's hand, Lottie didn't stop her singing as she kept a close eye on the young, female vampire tending to the male vampire. The woman, Clara, had been traveling with them for a handful of years, turned by Calvin to stitch up their throng of vampires whenever they were wounded too deep. She had proved herself useful tending to the infamous vampire, able to correctly tend to the wound he'd received during their escape from the watcher's home, an arrow lodged in his chest.

"His heart still perfect?"Looking away from Spike and turning to face Clara, eyes glancing at the needle the young vampire held, Lottie continued to inquire."The mean man didn't hurt it, did he?"

He'd passed out hours before during the extraction of the arrow and, considering he'd been prodded to ensure the wood was gone, it was probably for the best. He didn't react well to being jabbed at, mainly when it wasn't of his own volition, he much preferred drinking the pain away before he licked his wounds.

 _"Till the bird on the wire flies me back to you, i'll just close my eyes and whisper, baby blind love is true..."_

"His injuries have healed, the watcher narrowly missed his heart when he fired that crossbow."Clara carefully chose her words, glancing down at Spike's injury before she added."You should be lucky he was half-cocked when he fired that trigger."

Lips quirking upwards in approval of her work, Lottie's pointer finger absently traced circles on Spike's palm, breathily laughing when he turned his head on the pillow in response, aware that she was nearby.

"He'll be right as rain, yes?"

"Yes."Clara slowly nodded in confirmation, pausing when Lottie bounced excitedly from where she sat."With the stitching and some rest, he'll heal as usual. I surmise he'll be right as rain by tomorrow at the latest."

"You see, daddy? Right as rain. No fuss."Lottie patted Spike's hand with a bright smile, simpering to herself shyly as if he had, in fact, responded before suddenly remember Clara was still in the room."Off you go."

Clara was prompt to comply and nodded once more, murmuring to Lottie to call if she was needed again before, after collecting her things, she quickly exited the room. Lottie listened for the door to close behind her before she turned back to Spike, resuming her singing.

 _"I want to lay you down in a bed of roses, for tonight I sleep on a bed of nails,"_

Lottie's singing grew a little louder, relaxing now that they were alone and she settled down next to Spike, careful not to touch his stitching when she lay down. Lolling her head on his shoulder, Lottie tilted her head up and peered up at the male vampire when she felt that he was relaxed also, excluding some pain from his injury.

She looked up at him, smiling as she noticed that he was still in a deep sleep. He had been in a slumber for nearly a full day, and the sun was due to go down in a few hours. Lottie hummed the melody as best she could while she tiptoed her fingers up Spike's arm until they reached his shoulder.

 _"I want to be just as close as the Holy Ghost is and lay you down on a bed of roses..."_

Lottie smiled when she felt Spike gradually shift underneath her in response to her singing, cheek brushing her hair as he attempted to get closer. But choked groan of pain followed, and he promptly stopped his attempts at turning on his side and, instead, settled for winding an arm around her waist.

Lottie waited until Spike fell back into his slumber before she let her own eyes flutter closed, a dreamy smile still playing at her mouth.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **I hope you liked this chapter and if you did** _ **please leave a review**_ **if you want to see more of this story.**


	4. love her madly, wanna be her daddy

**A/N Thank you all for reviewing.**

* * *

 **1977—New York**

 _ **"Come on, daddy!"**_

 _Spike rolled his eyes with an exaggerated frown as he followed Lottie across the park in the pouring rain. He carried a grocery bag as he trailed after her while she giggled, dancing in the rain. She was happy as could be while he cursed each chance he got, marching through puddles he couldn't avoid and stomping on wet grass, it sticking to his boots._

 _"Love, why can't we go around?"_

 _"Because we're right under the moon here!"She replied with a playful swat to his shoulder before pointing up at the moon, dancing with the doll."See?"_

" _I see."_

 _"And it'll see to it we'll get home!"She singsonged with a merry laugh, jumping over a bench without effort at all, gracefully landing on her feet."Mummy'll love the doll we got her."_

" _She will."Spike also jumped over the bench, rotating around on his heel on the back of it before landing on the ground."That she will, pet."_

 _Drusilla had gone through a terrible episode that day, almost jumping out of a window because of it but Lottie had managed to calm her down by singing to her while Spike had eased her back into their home and into his embrace. They had taken Drusilla to bed, surrounded by her dolls while Lottie had dragged Spike out onto the town to search for a present._

 _"...her name will be Polly, yes, that'll be her name."Spike snapped out of his thoughts as he heard Lottie muttering to both herself and him."Mummy likes that name, she told me so."_

 _Spike trailed behind her, regarding Lottie carefully as she jumped over puddles and hummed to herself, dark wet hair flying around her._

 _"Is that so, love?"_

 _She slowed her twirling long enough to smile."Uh-huh."_

 _She beamed at him when he smiled back, all teeth and playful snarls, only for it to disappear when she suddenly staggered. Her twirling came to a sharp stop when a heavy groan left her, Spike suddenly became a blur and Lottie murmured incoherent nonsense to herself._

" _Baby?"Slowing his pace, Spike felt something off around them, and he gave Lottie with a cautious frown."Baby, what's wrong?"_

 _Lottie moaned in response, suddenly finding it unable to keep herself upright and gave up no fight when she lost her footing. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she faintly heard Spike shouting her name and, while she attempted to reach out for him, she found herself falling._

 _Only to be caught by a pair of arms and when she looked up, she found Spike staring down at her in confusion._

 _"What's wrong?"He asked as he pulled her to her feet, eyes clouded with concern._

 _Lottie blinked up at him and tilted her head, as if seeing him in a new light. And, unbeknownst to him, she did. Lottie breathily laughed, reaching up and touching Spike's face before she straightened._

 _"Nothing's wrong."She shook her head, moods changing swiftly, wet hair sticking to her cheek."Nothing at all. A special day."_

 _Without warning and giving him time to process her words, she grabbed his hand and began to run through the park, using her superior strength to drag him behind her._

 _"Baby, what is it?"_

 _"It's your special day!"_

 _"It that so?"_

 _She ran through the park, guiding him by his hand and laughing as if the word itself was burning before her, as if already knowing their destination. Spike knew better than to inquire again and allowed himself to be led, his groceries—cigarettes, fresh black nail varnish, and a rock magazine—left forgotten on the ground._

 _Then, suddenly, she stopped._

 _"Wha-"_

 _Turning to face him, Lottie shook her head and covered his mouth with her hand, hushing him. Moving forward, causing him to retreat, she nudged him behind the nearest tree and pointed at a walkway. His eyes followed, hearing the panting and punches before his eyes landed on two people in the midst of a fight._

" _Lookie!"_

 _Spike frowned at her before looking back over to where she was pointing, confused as to why it was so important. Perhaps she'd heard their heartbeats and wanted a snack. The thought appealed to him much, it had been a few hours. That was the young woman pulled out a stake and drove it through the man's heart, turning him into a pile of dust._

 _Spike's eyes widened in amazement, his blue orbs clouding hungrily._

 _He'd been looking for, searching for—hunting— the next Slayer longer than he could remember._

 _Nikki._

 _"I felt her."Lottie whispered into his ear, rain still pouring down on them."She's a Slayer."_

 _Spike let out a guttural chuckle as The Slayer jumped up from the ground, wiping wetness from her face, eyes glowing and breathing labored. A growl ripped from his throat in response to the Chosen Ones', his vampire face coming forward._

 _Lottie fiercely nodded in encouragement, patting his chest when he turned to look at her._

 _"On you go."She urged with a broad smile, springing up on her tiptoes and pecking his cheek."It's time."_

 _Leaning into the touch and lingering for a moment, Spike snarled as a familiar sensation rushed through his body. The adrenaline, the thrill of the hunt, the rapture of the battle, it was seared into him._

 _He stalked towards Nikki, steps quiet, and attention solely focused on her. Her racing heartbeat, the blood smeared on her face._

 _"Time to go-"_

 _Nikki didn't get a chance to finish her words because, as soon as she turned, she found herself staring at the sky, the moon glaring down at her. Chest heaving as she inhaled and exhaled, Nikki's eyes widened when the moon was replaced with a pair of fangs and amber eyes, Spike leaning over her._

 _"Up for a round, love?"_

 _He didn't wait for an answer, knowing she'd be up on her feet in no time. And she was. The second she was off the ground, Spike's knee met with her jaw before he backhanded her, spinning around before she could land a kick. He turned around on the heel of his Doc Martins, dodging a hit when a fist flew at him but didn't a chance to move when her fist connected with his other cheek._

 _Head snapping to the side and gasping when Nikki landed a kick on his chest, Spike spat out blood with a wild chuckle._

 _He loved a good fight._

 _He briefly caught a glimpse of Lottie before he turned back around, leaning back and grabbing Nikki's fist when she caught onto his movements, hollering into the night air when he reared back his head and headbutted the Slayer._

 _Nikki cried out in shock more than pain but quickly recovered to simulate a punch, her fist flying out but as Spike moved to dodge it, she gracefully spun and kneed him in the ribs, her free fist connecting with his left cheek._

 _"Well, all right."He howled, cradling his jaw and massaging it, baring his fangs at The Slayer as the circled one another."Got the moves, don't you? I'm going to ride you hard before I put you away, luv."_

 _"You sure about that?"Nikki sharply hissed, letting out a loud laugh of her own, spitting out more blood and wiping at her face."You look a little wet and limp to me. And I ain't your luv."_

 _Nikki swiftly Spike got across the face with a roundhouse kick when he launched at her, and they began fighting again. She dodged a punch but didn't foresee Spike's foot coming down on her shin, causing her to stagger, and he overpowered her, shoving her to the ground._

" _Whooo!"_

 _Spike kicked her in the stomach, turning the Slayer onto her back before he strangled her, backhanding her once more before he made a move for her throat. Eyes widening when his fingers brushed her pulse and knowing he was going to strangle her, Nikki grabbed Spike by the arm and kicked him off of her._

 _Spike cried out as he flew through the air, tucking and rolling, managing to jump up and land on his feet with a slight stagger. She was stronger than he'd thought. As Nikki shifted from foot to foot, hands in the air and fists clenched, Spike changed a glance at Lottie. Still watching closely, Lottie twirled her finger around in a circling motion, and he quickly nodded._

" _All right, all right."_

 _Nikki went to punch Spike in the nose, but this time, he grabbed her arm and twisted it around so that he could pull her against his chest. Baring his fangs with a triumphant snarl, Spike's eyes zeroed in on her throat. As he leaned down to sink his fangs into the flesh, the clattering of a knocked over trash can caught their ears._

" _No!"_

 _This startled Spike and distracted him, and the vampire frowned, eyes darting around to find the reason behind the fallen trashcan. There was someone else near, he could smell it. Nikki panted nervously, struggling against Spike as she, with a paranoid expression, she looked out of the corner of her eyes at the vampire._

 _"Daddy!"He faintly heard Lottie shout at him, alerting Nikki to her presence."Watch out!"_

 _Nikki moved swiftly before he could process the warning and reared her head forward before head-butting Spike, freeing herself from his grip. She elbowed him in the ribs, turned around in his arms, punched him before pushing him down._

 _Nikki retreated from the vampire, pulling a stake out from her coat pocket, rearing her hand back and preparing to dust the vampire. But, as she did, her elbow was clasped, and she cried out in shock when fingers curled in her hair._

 _"Want her now or later, daddy?"_

 _Nikki winced as Lottie tugged at her hair, pulling her head back to bare her throat to Spike. He looked tempted but he wouldn't. He'd win fair and square otherwise he didn't deserve the name the Slayer of Slayers._

 _"Not yet, pet, let the girl go."Spike leaped to his feet, licking his fangs before spitting blood out onto the ground."It's not the time."_

 _Lottie happily obliged and released the Slayer go just in time for Nikki to wrench her elbow free and, turning sharply on her heels, raised her hand to plunge the stake into Lottie's chest. Lottie offered up no reaction, her vacant eyes just bore into Nikki as Spike lunged forward and knocked the stake to the ground._

 _Spike tutted with a scolding head-shake, waggling a finger at her."Now, now, don't get jealous."_

 _The Slayer paid no mind to Spike, her gaze was completely focused on Lottie, recognizing her features from the handbook. Traitor, atrocity, monster. She'd read it all. Swallowing, Nikki put as much distance between them as she could, lip curling up in disgust._

 _"You."Nikki hissed through clenched teeth, eyes clouding with revulsion, fingers curling into her palm."I've read about you. You had a mission. You are a disgrace."_

 _Lottie calmly stared back at the Slayer with no reaction, eyes as vacant as her expression. Instead, she slowly shook her head with a click of her tongue, brushing away wet strands of hair from her face. Spike silently leered at the Slayer, jaw clenching at the disgust dripping from her words._

" _You."_

 _Nikki flinched at his voice, having almost forgotten his presence. Spike pointed at her with an almost sadistic playful smirk, swaying from foot to foot, adrenaline still coursing through him._

 _"I spent a long time trying to track you down. Don't want the dance to end so soon, do you, Nikki?"Spike reached out, offering his hand to the hybrid and, with a mock curtsy, she accepted and allowed him to pull her into his chest."The music's just starting, isn't it?"_

 _Spike kept his eyes on her as he retreated slowly, twirled a gleeful Lottie around and around until she could see nothing but blurry stars, her present for Drusilla still clutched in her embrace._

 _As they were almost out of sight, Spike turned around to smirk at Nikki one last time, calling over to her. "By the way, love the coat."_

* * *

 **Present** **—Sundown**

 **"Oh, this is a bloody good day."**

Arms crossed over his chest, Calvin quietly watched on as Spike slipped into his worn out, heavy combat boots. The sun had risen and fallen twice, stars glimmering and the sun beaming down on Sunnydale while Spike had rested and healed. And he had, quite quickly which had delighted Lottie because now, fully recovered, he had truly found his way home.

"How do ya feel?"Calvin inquired as Spike rose to his full height, slicking back his bleached hair."You did sleep almost a full day."

"Got a hankering for a nice, _ripe_ virgin..."Spike paused at the image, tongue touching where his fangs extracted before, mood swiftly switching, he darkly concluded."And bloody vengeance."

Returning Spike's wicked smile, Calvin pushed off of the wall he'd been leaning against.

"Quite yourself then."

Spike's shoulders shook as he laughed, glancing up at Calvin with a quirk of a scarred eyebrow. Sitting up straight and dusting off his jeans, the vampire looked down at himself and chuckled. Donning his usual worn out jeans, a black t-shirt, and red silk shirt, he felt more like himself when there wasn't roped bounding him.

"I'm just missing one thing, mate."

 _Ahhing_ in understanding, Calvin extended his arm with a lopsided grin Spike's famous duster folded over his arm. Spike's tongue lolled against the back of his front teeth as he broadly grinned, huffing out a cackle as he accepted his coat, shaking it out before shrugging it on, releasing a contented sigh.

However, it was gone as soon as it came and Spike's expression clouded, shoulders tense and posture doing the same.

The chip.

"Bloody 'ell!"Spike mumbled through clenched teeth, resisting the urge to touch his head and instead furled his fingers into a fist."I'm gonna find whoever put this soddin' chip in my head and make them fix it before I _rip_ out their insides."

"You will."Calvin simply replied, patting the other vampire on the shoulder as passed him, motioning for Spike to follow him."Lottie's got us all working on it."

At the mention of Lottie, Spike was prompt in following Calvin towards the door, listening out for the hybrid in the midst of several other voices the door.

"Talkin' about baby, where is s-"

As Calvin opened the door, Lottie appeared out of nowhere, almost knocking her right hand off of his feet as the door slammed against the wall behind it. She rushed over to Spike, laughter echoing off of the walls and delighted humming reverberating in their ears. Spike straightened instantly, unconsciously opening his arms as she reached out for him.

"Daddy's awake!"

With a delighted giggle, Lottie lunged at him with everything she had, still reaching out expectantly. And, as usual, Spike caught her. Clasped her thighs to keep Lottie steady as she wound her legs around him, hands clamping down on his shoulders, Spike barely had a chance to properly greet her before she cupped his face in her palms.

"Happy to see me, pet?"

With a hum and a nod, Lottie accentuated her response by peppering kisses all over his face, finishing with a lingering peck on his cheek before tightening her grip on him and embracing Spike fully, forehead meeting his shoulder. She felt him smile against her cheek when she murmured into his ear, hand carding through his bleached hair, free hand resting against his throat and nails grazing the skin lightly.

"Missed you."

"Mutual."Spike bluntly and simply stated, cheek brushing hers as he pulled back to get a proper look at her features.

"I would offer you a drink straight from the vein, but a little birdie told me-"Lottie paused for a moment when she saw the light in his eyes dim and shook her head unhappily, fingers slowing their movements in his hair."that you are on a time out."

Spike swallowed at the reminder but willingly bowed his head to let her fingers cavort over his head, an irritated frown on his face as he remembered what he'd gone through during his time in the cage. Something that had resulted in his reputation dwindling, losing his home and, most of the time, connection with reality, his mind working against him whenever he felt the animalistic urges.

But, more importantly, becoming the lapdog to the Slayer and her band of merry idiots.

"It's true, love, Daddy has to sit on the bench for a while."

"I'll fix it."She brushed her finger underneath his chin, tilting his head up so he could meet her gaze."All the kings' horses and all the kings' men will get wheels turning again. Promise."

In spite of the distress, he felt reliving the memories of the chip being implanted, Spike's mouth curved up into a wicked grin when Lottie's nails scratched against his jaw.

"But, first, you need to have a drink."

Patting Spike's cheek fondly, Lottie whistled as she jumped down from Spike's embrace, landing on the ground elegantly just in time for the door to open. Calvin ambled in again, but he wasn't alone. In his embrace, bound by the wrists and gagged, was a twenty-something woman.

While his eyes darkened longingly as the human's heart raced, Spike's jaw tightened as he shook his head."Love, I _can't-_ "

Lottie cut him off with a scolding wag of her finger, reaching up and taking hold of Spike's chin, turning his head back in their direction.

"You can't drink from the fountain of youth, but you _can_ accept a sacrifice."

Brows furrowing in confusion, Spike quietly watched as Calvin slit the wrist of the young woman after taking out the gag. Buckling over, she screamed in pain, tears running down her cheeks as her wrist was forcefully placed over a glass.

Eyelashes fluttering at the shrill scream, the sound rushing through him and striking something profound that resulted in Spike's fingers itching to be the cause of it.

"Make her scream."

Calvin happily complied with Spike's demand and wielded the knife again, slicing wherever and however deep Spike ordered. Slowly stepping closer to get a better look, Spike's tongue grazed his bottom lip as he watched the warm, human blood drip into the glass.

It had felt like a lifetime since he'd had human blood.

"No, no, _please!"_

The screams sounded like a perfect melody to his ears, and the blood called to him. Forcing himself to remain rooted in his spot, Spike watched as Lottie took the glass from Calvin and made her way over to him. A skip in her step and singing softly to herself, Lottie swirled the blood in the glass.

"You can hear the screams, smell the human blood, and taste it on your tongue."Lottie reached out, offering him the glass with an encouraging smile."You're close enough, daddy. For now."

Spike's lips parted as he growled low in his throat, tilting his head as vampire features came forward. He gasped in relief, the animal inside stirring as he took the glass from Lottie, bringing it to his lips.

He waited.

And waited

But no sharp, scorching, trembling pain soaring through his head and bringing him to his knees. There was no searing, blood-curdling echoes of his screams resounding in his ears in his ears.

There was only blood on his tongue sating a yearning that made him long for more and the screaming of his prey that was music.

However, most of all, there was _her_.

Clasping Lottie's cheek in his hand, smearing blood on her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb, Spike beamed down at her.

"You're my girl, baby."

* * *

 **1977—New York**

 _ **"Wheeee!"**_

 _Spike leaped off of the subway car seat onto the ground in one fluid motion, landing gracefully on his feet and rising to his full height, gambling around a handrail around one of the handrails with a cry of enthusiasm. An exuberant cackle spilling from his lips, Spike raised his eyebrows at Nikki, motioning for her to come to him with a grin._

 _"I love a good dance,"Spike jeered as he hopped from foot to foot, fists raised, his bloody knuckles displayed, his back arched. He as he arched his back just in time to avoid a roundhouse kick from Nikki, child-like amusement dancing in his eyes."Makes me feel all tingly inside."_

 _Nikki's eyes darkened with fury at the words, the churning in her stomach repeating when the vampire's smirk only grew._

 _"I see that you're without your girl, vampire."Nikki grabbed his wrist before he could hit her, pushing him backward, uppercutting him to distract him as she put some distance between them."Don't tell that disgrace of an animal is dust? That would be a new high for me."_

 _Spike wrenched his wrist from her grip, tilting his head before, with all the strength he could muster, he collided her temple with his. The force behind it made Nikki's vision blur, and she socked Spike in the cheek, forcing a laugh._

 _Even though her words were slurred as she recovered from the hit, Nikki composed herself long enough to taunt._

 _"Was she your girlfriend?"_

 _Utterly affronted at the remark, Spike hissed at Nikki with an enraged growl, forearms pressing against the Slayer's throat, pinning her against the side of the subway car._

 _"She's not my girlfriend, you stupid bint; she's my baby."Spike bared his fangs at the Slayer, tongue lolling against one as pulled her towards him before throwing her aside."Also, for your information, it would take you and an army to get a proper shot at her."_

 _Nikki caught herself before she lost her balance, spinning on her heel, raising her leg and kicking the vampire across the face. Finding his footing by clasping a hand on one of the subway's handrails, Spike broke it off and wielded it as a weapon._

 _Twirling it around his fingers, Spike cocked his head at the Slayer, daring her to make the first move._

 _"She led me to you. I would've hunted ya down sooner or later but, you know, i'm not a patient bloke."He chuckled as they circled each other, wiping away the blood with the back of his hand, lapping it up before he carried on."Dru, my girl, the love of my life, is gonna be dancing to the sound of your fading heartbeat in a few ticks. She hears and sees what you and I can't. It's bloody marvelous."_

 _Spike and Nikki traded blows; each hit tougher than the last. She head-butted Spike in the nose, turning around and grabbing him by the hair. She ran Spike headfirst into the train car's window, smashing it in the process and, as she landed blows to his sides, Spike let out a cry of delight._

 _Elbowing her in the face and pushing away from the window, he turned and backhanded her across the face, kicking her square in the chest and she hit the other side of the subway car._

 _"That all ya got, love?"Spike taunted, tongue running along his fangs, holding out his arms."You're losing your touch."_

 _She let out an angry cry, lunging for him, kicking his feet out from underneath him, causing Spike fell to the floor, and The Slayer jumped on his chest, straddling him._

 _She pounded him repeatedly in the face as the train's lights went out, hitting as hard as she could and wherever her fists would land. Spike used the darkness to his advantage, his vision still clear and she as visible to him as ever. He hitched up a leg, wound it around her, caught her fists before they landed a blow and flipped them around._

 _Once the lights flickered back on, Spike was straddling Nikki, fingers curled around her throat and clenching her windpipe._

 _"It's curtain call, love."Spike whispered in between her pants, mouth quirking up as he tightened his grip around her throat."Any last words?"_

 _She struggled underneath him, fighting for air, eyes bulging. He watched as the glimmering of hate in her eyes died out and the vibrancy in them faded. He relished in it, mentally capturing the feeling and the image of her dying at his hands._

 _Then, without a second thought, he snapped her neck. Exhaling in euphoria, Spike's head tipped back, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He smiled to himself, lingering atop of her for the warmth her already cooling body radiated before shrugging._

" _Off we go."_

 _Eyes snapping open and his human face coming forward, Spike stood but came to a stop as his fingers brushed leather. He crouched over Nikki, pulling the sleeves down her arms before tearing the rest from her body, shaking out the duster before shrugging it on._

 _Smiling to himself as he stood, he fixed the collar, breathing in the scent of the leather before he reached into his jeans for his smokes._

 _"I think I'll hang on to this."_

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **I hope you liked this chapter, and if you did,** ** _please leave a review_** **if you want to see more of this story.**


	5. the devil's laughing in your face

**A/N Thank you all for reviewing.**

* * *

 _Charlotte's power not only lies within her physical strength. It is her features and intellect. Her soft, delicate features and charisma confirm that evil can be disguised. Her once doe-eyed eyes are now almost black, showing the darkness that has embraced her._

 _Do not be fooled by her beauty or her declining mental state. Charlotte is dangerous, powerful as well as astute and I believe she is unstoppable._

 _Every year on the day she turned she visits me._

 _I count down the days. It has been three years i lost my Slayer today, and i wait for the tap on my window._

 _She stands outside my window and sings to me, proving just how far she has fallen._

 _Charlotte is taunting me with the threat that she can end my life with either a single flame to my home or snap of my neck. I suspect she lets me live not because her mental state is beginning to deteriorate but because she wants me to tell the tale._

 _The bodies she has left in her wake haunt me. The promising heroic warrior I once knew is now a monster that must be eliminated. I am truly sorry_ _for abandoning everything I know and was taught but there is no other choice_ _._

 _I cannot live with myself for failing my Slayer, my institution and myself._

 _Edward Kenneth._

* * *

 **"He hung himself."**

Giles shut the diary with a thick swallow, peeling off his glasses as he wiped a hand down his face. He had spent the entire day searching for the right diaries as well as books concerning the hybrid, no matter how short the passage and how many hours it took. The last dozen or so entries had shown just how despondent he had been and that had led to him killing himself.

Charlotte had left him to clean up after her mess, but no corpse had affected him as Lukas' had. Charlotte's brother. He had been but a child when his sister had murdered him, a death he had blamed himself for.

The ex-watcher leaned against the counter in his kitchen to collect himself, yawning in exhaustion as he rubbed at his eyes before he grabbed the half empty bottle of scotch.

"You poor bastard."Giles mumbled, pouring himself another full glass of scotch."This one's for _you_."

Giles downed the drink, hissing at the burn in his throat but it had been worth it. It seemed to wake him up. The ex-watcher lingered in the kitchen to collect himself for a moment before he grabbed the diaries and walked back out to the front room.

"How is everybody getting along?"

He didn't look surprised when he saw that Xander and Anya had fallen asleep, faces buried in the diaries they'd been looking through.

Willow, the only one in the group that Giles knew would take his requests to heart, sat on an armchair with her legs crossed and a diary in her lap. There was a stack of others next to her, ones she'd gone through and despite the late hour the redhead didn't seem at all tired, and if she was, she didn't show it.

The redhead calmly sat in the armchair, a plate of cookies she'd made balancing the arm. She reached over and picked up another cookie, munching on it, eyes never flickering away from her reading task.

"Willow? Are you all right?"

Willow looked up from the diary as Giles passed and she smiled at him."You know, it's a good thing I had all that coffee because I really don't want to sleep tonight, tomorrow or maybe ever again."

"Yes, the diaries are very, uh, graphic."Giles offered Willow an apologetic look."I am sorry for the content-"

"Giles, I don't think even faithful horror fans would like this. It's creepy enough to read about it let alone picture it."Willow whispered with a hint of reluctance in her tone, but she was determined and flicked to the next page, sighing in relief when it turned out it was the last."However, i'll, uh, carry on. J-Just _don't_ turn off the lights, okay?"

"Of course."The ex-watcher gave a small laugh, quickly nodding when Willow peered up at him."They will remain on as long as you need them to be. I see you're the only one I can count on, Willow."

"That's me, your trusty sidekick. If there was a sidekick that, uh, read diaries."Willow gave a small laugh as she placed another diary on top of the others she'd gone through."How did you get these, anyways? They're old and dusty which of course means they're important."

"Let's just say that i didn't take kindly to being let go so in the act of rebellion i stole some valued diaries, books and things alike."Giles answered, sighing in exasperation as he heard Anya and Xander snore then mumble in their sleep."They're worth a lot considering the infamous vampires that are written about in them."

"Giles as a badass."Willow mumbled as Giles walked off, a ghost of a smile on her lips."Who knew?"

Giles paused in his tracks, rolling his eyes in annoyance as Xander and Anya continued to snore. The male teenager used one diary as his pillow and Anya was doing the same. Giles knew that they had been at it for hours, but it was for their own good.

The ex-watcher crossed his arms over his chest, staring down at them.

"Xander! Anya!"

The couple moaned, stirring lightly before they resumed their sleeping.

"WAKE UP!"

Xander shot up, wide-eyed and hair stuck up in different directors, Anya following. The teenaged male was almost knocked over as Anya swung her fist at him, hitting him in the arm, clearly alarmed.

"More cookies, grammy!"The boy turned to face the group, wiping the drool from his chin after it being pointed out by Willow."Oh, great, the hundreds of books wasn't a nightmare then."

"No, they weren't so if you don't mind, _please_ stop drooling on centuries-old diaries and get back to reading."

Anya glared at Giles, unhappy as she grabbed a journal."You made me scream very loudly and not in a fun way."

Giles ignored the ex-demon and pointed at the books then at Xander before he turned away. The ex-watcher passed Buffy who lay on the couch, still halfway through the first diary she'd been handed.

Yawning, Buffy looked up at Giles from where she lay, both tired and vexed."This is what I dream of when I think of a Friday night."

Giles just sighed, sitting down at his desk as Buffy sat up straight, glowering at the diaries.

"How much of these do we have to look through?"The Slayer huffed, wiping her eyes with the heels of her hands, a pout forming."We've gone all the way back to the 12th century, which had _no_ pictures, by the way, I think we've done enough."

"You need to know your enemy, Buffy. T-This isn't anything you've faced before."

"She's a vampire, Slater or not."Buffy shrugged, seemingly unbothered but the high pitch in her voice gave her away."A stake to the heart might do it!"

Giles shut his eyes for a moment, apparently not in the humorous mood, as he tried to remain calm. The lack of sleep, dread of what was to come and the fact that he was running out of alcohol did not help his case.

"I fear that your wit will not serve you well during battle. The last Slayer that had the gall to come up against Charlotte was strung up for the Watcher's Council to see. It was four hundred years ago, but it seems to have made an impact."

Buffy's smile fell at Giles' words, her face paling once more as she realized just how earnest her ex-watcher was.

"Gee, Giles, you're a _bagful_ of support, aren't ya?"

"I am giving you my support, Buffy, which is why I believe doing research might help you instead of just using your fists. For once, you must _know_ your enemy because I believe that your recklessness won't get you far. She has the power, the abilities and everything else Slayers are gifted with as well as a vampire."

Giles stumbled over his words, restating what he'd already told her, prepared to recite them over and over until his Slayer could understand the severity of what they were dealing with.

"And to top it off her age only serves to amplify this."

Buffy looked down at the journal she had been skimming through, the words suddenly blurring together as she attempted to read them. Giles noticed this, and he stood, coming to sit next to the Slayer and offering her a comforting hand on the shoulder.

"I'm sure that if we know our enemy and find a way to gain the upper hand, we might have a fighting chance, Buffy."

Buffy returned his smile, but it wasn't a full one which made Giles look over to Willow for some help.

"Yeah!"Willow piped up in agreement, swatting at Xander's hand when he attempted to pilfer her last cookie."We'll fight her, and we'll finish just in time for some dancing at the Bronze. Right, Xan?"

Xander, cradling his recently slapped hand to his chest, looked up, glancing at the redhead before Buffy.

"Of course."Xander nodded, giving Buffy a goofy smile, still upset over being refused a cookie."No vamp, ghost or slimy demon can take down the Scooby gang."

Willow's lips curved up, and she laughed in approval, nodding when Xander pointed at her cookie. Despite the enthusiasm, the words didn't seem to convince anyone, especially Anya who just rolled her eyes.

"Except maybe a hybrid Slayer/vampire who's almost a thousand years old and has you all running scared and burying your heads in a pile of dusty old diaries."

Anya shook her head with an almost an almost amused smile, forcefully shutting a journal with a huff."Diaries that had those who wrote them hiding under their beds. I vote that we'll all be dead within the month."

The ex-demon sighed in boredom, placing aside the diary, only looking up to the group when she felt eyes on her. The stares were a mix of annoyance and slight trepidation which made her frown.

"What?"

* * *

 **1890—Russia**

 **" _Isn't she precious?"_**

" _Hmmm?"Drusilla cooed to herself as she gamboled around Darla, clapping her hands."Isn't she?"_

 _Angelus stepped forward from beside Darla, toying with his many rings as he looked over Lottie. She'd worked herself up into a tizzy until, eventually, she'd gave into a deep slumber._

" _She's a doll."_

" _Quaint, beguiling, delectable."Angelus circled the bed, giving the woman once over before he came to a stop, leaning down, eyes tracing the outline of her lips."Plump."_

 _The patriarch released a low growl that made Spike shift almost uncomfortably. Angelus grinned to himself, leaning closer so that his nose brushed Lottie's cheek and Spike, without thinking, took a step forward, his game face threatening to come forward but just before he could, Drusilla whined._

 _Spike felt the anger fade as his lover gently pushed Angelus back. She wasn't angry with her sire, Drusilla could never be mad at Angelus, she thought it almost impossible._

 _The whine was what a child would give if someone wanted to take away it's favorite toy. Spike slumped back against the wall he was previously leaning against, his rage quelled, sure that Lottie would remain untouched by Angelus._

" _Daddy, no stealing."Drusilla pouted, pulling a still unconscious Lottie closer to her so that the older female was resting against her chest."She's my baby."_

" _Is that right?"_

" _Uh-huh, she belongs to me and my sweet."Drusilla tittered to herself, brushing back Lottie's dark locks before she sent Spike a grin."Her mummy and daddy."_

" _Really?"Angelus purred, settling down on the other side of Lottie, turning to Spike when Drusilla nodded."If you need a lesson on crafting a devoted daddy's girl, i'll be more than happy to give you a demonstration."_

 _Angelus' smirk grew as Spike's eyes darkened when Drusilla giggled._

 _Spike's jaw clenched, but he didn't take the bait."Sod off."_

" _There's certainly a Slayer inside; I can smell it."Darla commented, eyebrow arched as she trailed her eyes over the new presence."I can also smell the vampire. She's the bane of both. I like it."_

" _She has power, a lot of it. She's old."Darla turned toward Drusilla, expression still blank as usual but she gave a ghost of a smile."You've impressed me."_

" _Oh, i'm all tingly."Drusilla bounced happily, crooning to herself as her cheek brushed Lottie's."You made mummy happy, my sweet."_

 _Angelus purred again, eyes focused on Lottie's face, taking the time to mentally capture her smooth skin, thick lashes, and full lips. His fingers itched against his palm, nails almost slicing through skin as he felt the urge to taint each and every part of her and claim her as his own._

" _If she's around the same age, maybe older than The Master, why doesn't she have his ugly bat-nose and-"_

 _Angelus' subsequent words were unintelligible as a hand shot up, the motion a blur to the others but a swipe to the air was heard. Angelus' strangled groans followed, it bringing the fact that Lottie had a grip on his throat to their attention._

" _Oh, look who's awake!"Spike pulled himself from the wall, arms crossing over his chest as he looked far too amused at Angelus' predicament."And look who's in trouble! I like this bird already."_

" _Brother doesn't like to be disrespected."A growl followed as Lottie sat up straight, fingers still wrapped around Angelus' throat."Am I to punish?"_

 _Angelus laughed despite the tight grip on his throat."My safe word is—actually, I don't have a safe word."_

 _Angelus moved to lunge for the hybrid, but Lottie gained the upper-hand without much effort. She caught his hand before it met her face and headbutted him, causing him to fly off of the bed and onto the ground. Darla cocked her head, quirking an eyebrow in amusement as her lover attempted to overpower the older female vampire._

 _Darla crooned softly, cocking her head as she watched."Come on, my love, I taught you better than that."_

 _Drusilla giggled behind her hands as she clapped."Oh, fun."_

" _Oh, new girl plays rough."Angelus spat out blood before he leaped to his feet, baring his fangs as he smiled."I like that."_

 _Lottie rolled off of the bed, getting to her feet, eyed searching out Angelus before she paused. She turned her head, her gaze landing on Darla who stood with a curious and amused look on her face._

" _You..."_

 _The brunette spun around in a blur, exhaling deeply as her focused zeroed in on Darla."You know him."_

 _Darla arched her eyebrow again as Lottie took a step forward."Sorry?"_

 _Lottie lunged forward, laughter echoing as she pulled Darla into her embrace. The blonde female vampire's eyes widened, and she looked annoyed that Angelus just stood there smirking._

 _Darla seemed only more irked as she heard a growl coming from the older female. Lottie's vampire features came forward, and her tongue ran up Darla's throat._

" _Hey!"_

 _Darla growled in an indignant manner as Lottie sniffed her before smiling against her throat._

" _Order of Aurelius."Lottie mumbled against Darla's neck, letting out a pleased hum before she pulled back."Kin."_

 _Darla frowned, slightly vexed by her but curious."Excuse me?"_

" _The Master found me many years ago; he sent for me. A naughty Slayer tried to turn me to dust, and I kept her head as a souvenir. He liked that, said I was fresh and he taught me many things."Lottie's smile fell as a memory she preferred to keep locked away flashed through her mind."But I got lost while following the song and I can't find my way back. He sends for me and misses me, I can feel it, but then she likes to kill them before they can take me to him."_

 _Lottie suddenly perked up, eyes bright, shaking her head to rid of the memory."He is the best teacher."_

 _Darla and Lottie both gave a thoughtful smile at the thought of The Master, the blonde vampire humming in agreement, tongue running along her teeth."Yes, he is, isn't he?"_

 _Angelus rolled his eyes at the mention of the vampire, but he decided against saying anything. Darla was a vicious fighter during their fights, but if he dared to even hint at an insult concerning her sire, she would feed him his lungs._

 _Darla was a thrilling imp, that's what he liked most about her, she never stopped surprising him._

" _No!"_

 _Drusilla released a loud whine, fingers curling into fists as she began to shake angrily._

" _Grandmum took my baby!"_

 _Spike instantly stood, already walking forward to take care of his lover, expression contorting into concern. Lottie shook her head, spinning around on her heels, dark locks swiping Darla's face._

" _Oh, no, no, no,"Lottie rushed over to Drusilla, kneeling down in front of the younger female and taking her hands in her own."I'm all yours; our minds are connected. You're my mummy."_

 _Drusilla stopped shaking as Lottie repeated the words Drusilla had said when they first met. The female vampire stopped mewling as Lottie sat up on her knees, leaning up to whisper into Drusilla's ear._

 _Spike tilted his head, curiously and fondly, as the two women pulled back, eyes wide. They stared at one another then, like earlier, they began to giggle loudly. Darla and Angelus looked on, both no longer interested as nothing entertaining took place._

" _Oh, good, now there's two of them."_

" _I'm bored."Angelus suddenly stated, hand grabbing Darla and pulling her up against him as he growled at her."Let's go find someone to eat."_

 _The pair smiled at each other and sauntered off, muttering about their plans._

" _Ohhhh!"Drusilla crooned happily, turning Lottie's hands around and letting her fingers trace invisible patterns over Lottie's palms."We can take turns naming the stars and make the little wormy dance all sorts of ways."_

 _Lottie and Drusilla continued to giggle with one another before the younger female happily purred, arms winding around Lottie and pulling her up against her. Drusilla's eyes fell shut, and she buried her face in Lottie's shoulder, muttering to herself._

 _Lottie smiled against Drusilla, her fingers combing through her dark hair, and shut her eyes._

 _She felt Drusilla turn her head and the younger female tittered happily."She adores me, my sweet."_

 _A growl of approval came from near them, followed by a deep laugh._

" _Of course she does, love."_

 _Lottie's eyes snapped her chocolate orbs turning a little lighter. Inhaling sharply, the hybrid's lips curved up and she released a breathy laugh._

 _Lottie turned her head, her eyes meeting a pair of blue orbs that were already watching her._

 _The voices in her mind suddenly began to sing, and she hummed along, adding a melody. The eyes were bright, powerful, fierce but fond. Lottie's smile grew as the entire world fell away, leaving herself and the two vampires._

 _She looked to Spike, and a feeling of safety soared through her along with the sense of respect as well as utter devotion on both parts. There was no more darkness, no more Lottie wandering for centuries on end. There was suddenly light, and she felt the need to keep it as bright as possible. She hugged Drusilla to her, always feeling the need to be in her arms._

 _Drusilla drew in a pleased gasp as Lottie turned, remaining on her knees. Lottie straightened, a happy giggle spilling from her lips as she stared up at Spike._

" _You're my daddy."_

 _Spike's grin widened, and he cocked his head, expression softening. A protective, affectionate yet dangerous smirk appeared on his face. It was the same look he only gave to one other person, and that was Drusilla._

 _He opened his arms, wiggling his fingers in a beckoning motion._

" _Baby."_

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **I hope you liked this chapter, and if you did, _please leave a review_ if you want to see more of this story.**


	6. the sun blotted out from the sky

**A/N Thank you all for reviewing!**

 **Just in case some of you haven't watched 'Angel,' the flashback is from season five. If you for some reason haven't watched the show, I bet most of you have, then you really should. It's amazing.**

* * *

 **1943—Atlantic Ocean**

 **"Open it, daddy, my tummy's rumbling."**

Picking at the remnants of dried blood glued into her hair with a sullen scowl, Lottie paced back and forth behind Spike; her eyes narrowed in pique. The male vampire, crouched down in front of the hatch that, during their feast had closed and locked them inside. His brows knitted together in silent annoyance, Spike's hands shook with budding rage that was close to overflow in a series of punches to the wall that would result in bloody knuckles.

However, as spilling blood—even his own in annoyance—seemed briefly tempting, time wasn't on his side.

"I'm trying, pet."

"Mummy has to be so worried,"Lottie thoughtfully declared, slowing her stride to offer Spike a comforting pet of his cheek when he growled in annoyance as he, once again, failed to open the door."She doesn't like saying hello to the moon all alone."

Leisurely rising from his feet and turning to face Lottie with a dramatic turn on his boots, Spike extended a hand for Lottie with an encouraging wiggle of his fingers. When she complied with a radiant smile and followed the motion, her own hand reaching out to take his own, Spike shifted at the last second. He cupped her cheek, thumb nudging her jaw to angle her head so that he could look down at her.

"I know."Spike murmured as softly as he could when he recognized the pitch in her tone before clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth disapprovingly when Lottie attempted to turn and resume her pacing, waiting for her to fully refocus on him before he carried on."Just like I know _you_ got a few centuries on me."

Bowing her head as a complacent smile formed, Lottie blinked up at him as innocently as she could, nuzzling into his palm.

"Why don't you take a turn?"

Shaking her head back and forth, Lottie reached up and peeled Spike's fingers from her cheek before, displaying his previously mentioned superior strength by just a smidgen, suddenly spinning him back around, so he faced the door.

"My patience wears out before yours."

Blinking rapidly as his vision settled from the sudden motion, Spike made a show of sighing indignantly but didn't protest as Lottie held him still.

"Besides, mummy said i shouldn't do men's work."

"Did she now?"Spike raised a scarred eyebrow at her comment but didn't resist as Lottie pushed him back down into his crouching position, mumbling as his attention returned to the door."Was that another tidbit from your hush-hush chinwags?"

"Mmm-hmm. Our mouths don't move, but lyrics come out anyway."Lottie singsonged with a knowing smile, reaching down and gently pressing her hand against Spike's chest, just right over where his unbeaten heart called home and patted rhythmically."Just like our hearts."

"And don't I know it."Spike's smile slowly faltered as his palms pressed against the frame around the hatch, fingers curling into them when he pulled away with a curious frown."Say, love, you wouldn't be against breaking the rule for little ol' me, would you?"

Head tilting as her eyes met Spike's, Lottie remained silent when as a series of jiggling and thumps caught her ears, coming from the other side of the hatch.

"Break anything or anyone you wanted me to, I would."Lottie grimly answered even as a slow, sweet smile forming, her teeth baring almost menacingly when it broadened."What does daddy want laid at his feet?"

Slowly emulating her smile with a quiet chuckle, Spike hummed approvingly, temple lolling against Lottie's hip briefly as he cracked his knuckles.

"Whatever is trying to get in 'ere is not fresh, so we got the element of surprise, all right?"Spike paused in between every few words for Lottie's hums of agreement, rolling back his shoulders."Knock 'em down, go for the legs. I'll go for the rest."

Hands bracing themselves on his shoulders as the thumping continued, growing more purposeful and booming as the door remained stiff in its frame, Lottie tilted her head up defiantly, tongue running over her teeth as her pupils dilated ravenously.

"Run and catch?"

"That's right. Run and catch, love."Spike repeated as he shifted into a more flexible and comfortable stance, leaning forward, eyes trained on the door in front of him, prepared to lunge. That was when he noticed the handle shaking loosely, a sign it was loosening, door shaking a little in its frame."And here we _go_ ―"

Spike's instincts picked up on the presence closing in on them, and he reacted before his ears picked up on the sound of the hatch opening. Springing up on his feet and lunging forward and his body was lunging forward before the hatch completely opened.

But, the moment one foot stormed down on the external hallway, a familiar flicker rushed up his spine, and he found himself recoiling and, in response to him, Lottie did the same.

Drawing in an unneeded breath, Spike ground his teeth together as he muttered."Bloody hell."

His eyes scanned the body standing in front of him from toe to head; Spike sniffed the air to confirm what the animal inside had picked up on.

 _Angelus._

"Spike?"

Blinking several times as he processed the presence of his grandsire, a resonated thump followed as Spike's foot came down on the side of the hatch, his human face came forward. Resting his swastika-clad arm on his propped-up knee, Spike's brows knitted together in confusion as he tilted his head to glance at Angel as if double checking it was, in fact, his grandsire.

"Angelus!"Scoffing in incredulity, Spike shook his head, pulling back to get a better look at the elder vampire."They'll let _anyone_ in here."

Chuckling to himself, Spike turned around to face Lottie with a smile and beckoning wiggle of his fingers.

"Baby, look who it..."

Spike trailed off when he noticed the expression she wore and, instead, shifted aside when a delighted squeal. A second later, Lottie came barrelling out of the room, arms outstretched and eyes trained on Angel. He barely had time to react before he was suddenly staggering backward when Lottie leaped up and lunged at him.

"Uncle!"

Righting himself by slamming a hand against the wall before he toppled over, Angel ground his teeth together to resist a groan wince when Lottie's legs enwrapped around him and, once her ankles locked together, she detained him with a pleased hum. And Spike raised his eyebrows as he saw Lottie wrapping her legs around Angel's waist, burying her face into his shoulder.

"Lost and found."Angel swallowed thickly as she crooned into his ear, grimacing when he felt Lottie's human, blunt teeth scraped his throat."You've found your way home."

He felt her smile against his cool skin, fingertips tiptoeing over his collarbone before she gently nudged his jaw with her knuckle. Angel growled low in his throat, stiffening against her as bloody flashes went through his mind, memories of what he was previously. Close proximity to them wasn't something he wanted.

"Get _off_ of me."

He resisted a flinch as the hybrid murmured into his ear, humming dreamily to herself and flickered his eyes to Spike. His lip curled up into a revolted sneer at the wry amusement dancing in Spike's eyes, his fingers curling into his palm as he thought about using force to get Lottie off of him.

And, noticing his grandsire's clenched fist, Spike clicked his tongue at him.

"The more you fight, the harder she'll latch you, mate. She's got a few more centuries on her belt than you."

Angel's jaw flexed underneath her hand and, noticing this, Lottie's grin only widened."We've missed you so, uncle. Haven't we, daddy?"

"Some not as keen as others but it's never a familiar face isn't unwelcome. 'specially at times like this."Spike gestured at their unusual surroundings, leaning against the side with a small smile."Of all the bloody faces I expected to see down here."

"Of all the faces I didn't want to see down here..."Angel trailed off in a harsh, derisive tone, trying to imitate Angelus' assertive tenor the best he could. Eyes trailing upwards and his head tilting skywards, Angel fixed his dark eyes on Lottie, corner of his mouth twisting up into an obscene half smile."Gerroff of me, _lass_ , unless you're wantin' to greet yer dear old man with a game of hide and seek."

Expression settling into a moue at the absence of playfulness in his tone, Lottie blinked down at him with a pretense of upset but Angel knew better. It was a daring look; she dared him to cross the boundary and push her. And Angelus usually did if he'd been in the mood, it was a substitute because he'd been forbidden to even toy with her.

He'd skate on the edge of the line drawn, cross it with another remark which would result in another chastisement from Lottie, a beating Angelus had become somewhat expectant with. Pain and pleasure had gone hand in hand with the patriarch after all.

" _Oi!_ Watch it."Donning a face of thunder, Spike swiftly exited the chamber and joined the pair in the vestibule."I thought you outgrew that pipe dream when Darla thrashed you last time."

innocently shrugging, Angel made a show of looking around as if searching for something, humming a tune low in his throat as his eyes returned to the other vampire.

"Unless they're hiding in there with you, Dru and Darla aren't here. Pity, ain't it? I've just been _itching_ for my girls."Spike's eye twitched as Angel's hands clasped Lottie's hips, fingers pattering against her back, thumbs stroking back and forth."You finally up for sharing yours? I did."

He finished with a quirk of an eyebrow at Spike, hands changing position as he did and shifting to Lottie's thighs, a wicked smile he'd long resisted brimming at his mouth. He felt a rush of self-disgust soar through him as he contorted the smirk, fingers tremoring against Lottie's thighs as a familiar tingle—something that would've felt like a cascade of triumph to Angelus—when Spike bared his teeth at his grandsire, fangs threatening to extract when he snarled.

"Lay one fin-"

As Spike pulled away from his slumped position against the wall, Lottie's snarl—a one of warning—in response to Spike's own made him come to a sharp halt.

"If ten fingers roam where they'll be most _unwelcome_..."Lottie's dreamy smile broadened into a wicked grin as Angel's eyes twitched when her hands sought out his hands. She squeezed them almost fondly before turning them over and dancing her fingers up his palm, seizing two of his fingers and slowly started to crook them."snip, snip, snip!"

Each repeated word as joined with his fingers being bent, each movement slow but the force behind them resulting in the bones of his fingers reacting to the strain.

"Ten you'll _lose_ —"Angel winced as his fingers were twisted, the sound of the bones splintering following. Broken then plucked, he knew the score."never a one."

"While i've got a hankering to hear his bones snap one by one, it ain't the time nor the place, love."

Instantly alleviating the compressing on his fingers at Spike's request, Lottie glanced over her shoulder at him with a woeful huff.

"Maybe when we're not stuck at the bottom of the ocean, all right?"Spike's mocking smile faltered when Lottie slowly nodded in acceptance of his request and gestured for her to join him. His eyes steadily trailing to his grandsire, Spike's eyes turned amber for a brief moment, a growl ripping from his throat as he pointed at Angel."Your dirty little digits touch her..."

Lottie lingered to enjoy one last painful choke from Angel before she unlocked the tight grip her legs had around him and let herself drop back to the ground. The moment her feet touched the ground, Spike extended a hand and tugged when her own slipped into his. Pulling her into his side, Spike draped his arm over her shoulder and, once she was nestling into him the tension between him and Angel instantly subsided.

As the younger vampire did, Angel caught sight of the emblem on the forearm of his jacket.

"You're a Nazi."

"That's a bit over to the top for the tot just wanting a-"Spike frowned at his grandsire when he motioned for him to stop talking, confusion flitting over his features. Slowly, realization dawned when Angel scanned him from head to toe."What?"

Glancing down at the coat he donned, Spike all but snickered and waved a hand at the elder vampire absently."Nah, mate, not for me. I just ate one."

"He was a mean old man. Daddy gobbled him right up."Lottie proudly proclaimed, covering the patch sewn into his jacket with her hand with a glower."Right?"

"That's right."Spike mirrored Lottie's tone, hand releasing her shoulder and knuckles touching her cheek before he looked back at Angel, extending his pointer finger at him."They got you too, eh?"

When Angel simply nodded, Spike shook his head in an almost pitying manner before snapping his head up again, brows raising as annoyance flickered in his eyes.

"Nabbed us in Madrid. Sneaky bastards, the S.S. Don't ever go to a free virgin blood party."Spike wagged his finger almost forewarningly at his grandsire."Turns out it's probably a _trap_."

"Their pants were on fire; I remember the smoke because there were no virgins."Lottie chimed in with a disappointed huff, eyes darting around as she took in her surroundings, absently muttering to herself."They told a porky pie, but we ended with us swimming with the fishes. It's just unjust."

Humming in false agreement at her statement, Angel imitated Spike's brow raise as he glanced at the other man in disbelief."You were captured at a 'free virgin blood' party?"

"I know. Who'd have thought? I'm asking a fella why all the virgins look like Goebbels one minute-"Spike gesticulated his hand to and fro as he recalled the events."trying to put out this bloke who's gotten himself ignited for getting handsy with Lottie so I can take him home to Dru."

Corners of his lips quirking up into an almost pensive smile as he thought of the screams his wicked queen would've coaxed from the demon before snapping out of his daze when Angel cleared his throat.

"Yeah, next minute, we're stuck in a box on this cursed ship."

Upper lip curling as she looked around again, Lottie pivoted on her heels with a gentle tug of Spike's hand, motioning for Angel to follow them. He did without a protest but awaited for Spike to turn around and let Lottie lead him, trail behind her with a relaxed gait.

"Mummy likes to play hangman."Lottie singsonged, flashing them a wistful smile as she swung her and Spike's hands."Remember?"

"We remember, pet."

Spike's smile faded as he turned to look at Angel over his shoulder.

"I feel better knowing they got you, too, though I can't say I'm surprised."Spike laughed to himself as he sent Angel a smug grin, clapping his grandsire on his shoulder."From our company, it looks like they're rounding up the baddest of the bad."

"And one of the oldest."Angel added in monotone, glancing over Spike's shoulder to see her grinning back at him over her own."The monstrosity."

"That's right."Spike chimed in with a hearty chuckle, twirling Lottie around as they came up to another hatch."A bloody prodigy, aren't you, pet?"

Lottie simply simpered in response, allowing herself to be led as Spike trailed off to unlock the hatch, twirling her a few more times at her request.

"Yeah..."Angel unheedingly mumbled, giving Lottie a wary once over as she watched Spike fiddle with the handle."You're gonna have to introduce me."

"Of course, but I gotta warn you, uh..."Straightening, Spike trailed off as he thought for the correct words, eventually shrugging and concluding."they're a little bit stiff."

After unlocking the hatch that led to the next compartment and nudging it open with his foot, they led Angel towards another door, stepping over or walking around several other corpses. Spike crouched again as he crossed the threshold, Lottie, and Angel doing the same afterward. The three straightened as they entered the room, Angel frowning as two vampires—one tall and bulky, the another frail and obviously ancient—turned to face them.

"Angelus, his is Nostroyev and the Prince of Lies. Nostroyev, Prince of Lies, this is Angelus."

Spike gestured back and forth as he made introductions, mouth curving up into a proud smirk as he turned to face the other vampires while concluding, thumb pointing back at his grandsire.

" _The_ Angelus."

Lottie grinned triumphantly as Prince of Lies motioned to Angel with a respectful nod."Uncle Angelus."

"Angelus."Nostroyev echoed with a lazy drawl, his eyes remaining firmly fixed on the infamous vampire as he crossed his arms over his chest."Used to be quite the terror back in the day. Haven't heard much of you lately, though."

"Haven't heard much of you―"Angel paused to purse his lips as he just scrutinized the other vampire with a casual shake of his head. _"ever."_

"Nostroyev!"The tall man hissed through clenched teeth, pounding on his chest proudly."Scourge of Siberia and Butcher of Alexander Palace."

Shrugging with an indifferent frown and a shake of his head, Angel simply hurled back."Sorry."

Nostroyev's eyes clouded with rage and, as his tone raised in pitch, he petulantly yelled."I was Rasputin's lover!"

"Truly?"Lottie murmured in awe, blunt teeth scraping across her bottom lip as a wicked smile grew."Oh, my. Kinky."

Shifting underneath her vacant stare, Nostroyev glowered at her as he found himself suddenly at a loss for words. Finding himself in the same mindset, Spike rapidly blinked as his shoulders stiffened and slowly turned his head so that he could look at Lottie, his eyebrow quirking curiously.

"When did you learn that word, love?"

Lottie peered up at Spike with furrowed brows."Who? Me?"

"Yes, you."

Blinking innocently, Lottie's teeth sank into the flesh of her bottom lip, toying with it between her teeth, a sign that she wasn't in the mood to answer. Spike raised a scarred eyebrow in response, unwilling to let the subject go. Prince of Lies released a loud cackle, his head tipping back with a screech, fingers curled around his cane.

"Hee-hee!"

Charmed at the grating sound of his cackles, Lottie chimed in with a gleeful giggle, it becoming more hearty when Prince of Lies thwacked the end of his cane against the ground in time with their laughter.

Spike examined Lottie's features before he murmured."This isn't over."

Her laughter fading, Lottie just gave a small smile and nestled into his side, eyes vacantly staring at the opposite wall that somehow became compelling Narrowing his eyes at the insouciant pair—and somewhat irritated at the strangers that weren't as helpful as he'd hoped—Angel looked impatiently at Spike.

"Uh, look, I broke these two out just shortly after I got free. Didn't know you were back there."Spike explained in an exasperated tone at Angel's burning stare, waving the other vampire off as he attempted to look past him."Would've come for you as well."

"Ah!"Spike then slowly smirked to himself and glanced over his shoulder at Nostroyev and Prince of Lies with a smug chuckle."Suppose we had our hands full with the sailors, didn't we?

Prince of Lies began to cackle again, loud and grating, head rolling back until he saw the stares the others were giving him. He gave a low hum while bowing his head, folding his hands atop his cane with a quiet drone.

"Eh..."

Spike's eyes widened slightly at Prince of Lies before they narrowed, finding the ancient vampire somewhat disturbing. And, as he turned back to Angel he noticed the frown on his features, it appeared Angel was in agreement with him.

"Anybody still alive back here?"

"Nah, we just finished off the last of them."Spike quickly responded, attention more focused looking over Angel's shoulder, his jaw twitching as he sensed something that his grandsire apparently didn't."What about back there? Save us anything?"

Lottie, who had been interested in a staring contest with the Prince of Lies, suddenly perked up. She turned her head, looking past Angel and narrowed her eyes. She had an advantage that the rest didn't. Vampires had keen senses, as did Slayers so she had a significant advantage.

She crossed her arms on Spike's shoulder, standing on tiptoes and gave him a broad smile. Spike hummed to himself when Lottie whispered in his ear and, with a faraway glint in his eye as he became distracted, he soon forgot about the reluctance he'd noticed on Angel's features.

"There's more."

"Yeah?"Spike turned to look at her with a murmur, a gleeful grin following when Lottie smiled and nodded. Nudging his grandsire with his elbow, Spike turned back to look up at Angel as he firmly proclaimed."She's never wrong, mate."

"One for me, one for you and enough for leftovers."Lottie singsonged as if they needed to be enticed."We can play piggies in the middle!"

Angel's eye almost twitched, and he glowered at Lottie before he gruffly spoke, gesturing behind him."There's a couple men left in the torpedo room."

"What did I tell you lot? Never wrong this one."Hands clapping and rubbing together almost conspiratorially, Spike pulled Lottie with him as he retreated, making a move to head in the direction Angel had gestured."Well, what are we waiting for?"

Nodding for the others to follow him, Spike's had seized Lottie's again, and he sauntered away from the vampire who made a move to follow him only to come to a sharp halt when Angel stepped in front of him.

Holding up a hand, his other pushing Spike back, Angel shook his head."No."

His brows shooting upwards in sheer shock, Spike pulled back to study Angel's face, huffing out a laugh of disbelief when he noticed that his grandsire wasn't joking. He shook his head slowly, sharing a cryptic look with Lottie that made Angel shift defensively before Spike's head snapped back in Angel's direction.

"What was that?"

"We're not killing any more humans."Angel sternly answered, swallowing when Spike's confused expression darkened, scarred brow furrowing almost dubiously before he swiftly added."Well, not right now."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because in case you haven't noticed, Spike―"Ambling forward so that he invaded Spike's personal space, Angel's tone lowered threateningly."we're trapped at the bottom of the ocean."

"Yeah."Spike enunciated the word slowly, nodding as he did so, unfazed by the statement."So?"

"Listen, listen."Lottie bounced up and down, patting Spike's back for his attention, having grown tired of the back and forth and not liking the indignation in his voice."We should bring a shark home for mummy as a memento. The last pet ran away, she was so very down, but they have no legs."

"Baby..."Spike opened his mouth to tell her that it was impossible but stopped himself as he actually began to think about it."I suppose if we found a place with a big enough pool..."

"We're underwater?"Prince of Lies muttered to himself, warily looking up.

Spike blinked several ties, snapping out of his thoughts before he and Angel glanced at Prince of Lies, rolled their eyes and returned to their conversation, their bickering resuming as if it hadn't been interrupted.

"So, unless you know how to operate one of these things, we're gonna need their help."

"Oh, come on! How hard can it be?"Pivoting on the heel of his boot, Spike stormed over to the controls and, without taking the chance to examine them, he reached out and pulled at them randomly."...forward, back, up, down―"

An alarm suddenly began to sound when he pulled on the wrong one and, as the shrill sound caught his sensitive ears, Spike jumped in surprise.

"Oh, bloody hell!"

Prince of Lies began to hiss, holding his hands over his ears, rocking back and forth as he tried to drown out the piercing noise. Angel growled low in his throat and angrily made his way over to Spike, shoving him aside before pulling down the lever the other vampire had touched. The noise came to a sharp stop, silence cascading over them and Prince of Lies dropped his hands back down to his sides, glancing around in relief.

"Look, mate, just cause you're―"

Tutting at him, Lottie reached out for Spike and gestured to him to come to her to which he did but not without a glower at Angel.

"Daddy, stay behind the curtain."Lottie hastily demanded, pulling him into her side with a shake of her head."Look closely, see through it. Uncle's lost his mojo."

"You don't say."Spike hissed out with his eyes still fixed on Angel but, as the words processed and started to take on another meaning, Spike turned to face Lottie with a curious expression."What was that, love?"

"There's no glow, no pomp. He is chary."She drew out each word, popping the 'p' as she stared wide-eyed at Angel."Maybe he is having an off day. Great minds do need a catnap sometimes. Like mummy."

Spike narrowed his eyes at her, seeking more information but Lottie directly stared back at him. Slowly tearing his eyes away from her and fixing them on Angel, Spike took the time to read him. He scanned his grandsire from head to toe several times, scrutinizing him and comparing him from their last few meetings. As he did, he found himself noticing when Lottie was talking about.

There was no swagger, no viciousness, no game. Something he recalled Angelus slowly neglect or simply just losing over their last handful encounters.

Watching Spike's features absently out of the corner of her eye, Lottie sniffed at their air with a knowing smile.

"I smell a rat."

Spike blinked out of his reverie, and that was when he felt it. Tension.

"Someone's grouchy; they're not pleased with being given the thumbs down!"Lottie's grip tightened on Spike, and she sprung up on her toes, the gasp she exhaled garnering Angel's attention and, as if it had been her intention, she urged."You should cut them off."

Spike felt a familiar shiver down his spine as he heard a snarl and he pulled at Lottie, bringing her to the side, slumping against the wall to get comfortable as Nostroyev growled at Angel.

"Sideline to the ring is always a good show."

"Tell you what..."The Russian started as he picked up a fire-axe, drumming the wooden end against his palm with a wicked smile before he pointed it at Angel."we'll leave one alive to work the boat and eat the rest."

"Yeah, _yeah!_ "Spike fiercely nodded in agreement, raising his hand."I'm all for that!"

Angel glowered at Spike warningly, fully aware the other vampire was agreeing just to irk him. When Spike simply smirked, Nostroyev began toward the exit, but Angel stepped in front of him just in time. Shoving the bigger man away from the door, Angel followed after him with a slow amble.

"Nope."

"Uh, yeah, probably should warn you."Spike piped up with a wave of his raised hand, snapping his fingers before pointing to Angel."He likes to pretend he's the boss."

Disregarding Spike with a snide scoff, Nostroyev let the end of the axe scrape against the ground as he scanned Angel head to toe with a look of disgust.

"You may have made a name for yourself muscling around weaker vampires..."

Nostroyev's eyes trailed from Angel and, as he did with him, scanned Spike with a dismissive flicker. The younger vampire snarled in anger, pulling away from the wall with clenched fists.

"Hang on!"

Shaking her head while mumbling something incoherent, bringing her hand up to cup Spike's face, guiding his head so that he would bow and meet her eyes

"Listen not, daddy; it's not for your ears because there is nothing to hear."She murmured imploringly, attentively pulling him closer when she sensed the anger, nails grazing his cheek soothingly."He is barely even a _footnote_."

Noticing the tension slowly fade as his shoulders deflated and his mouth curved up into a grin, Lottie made a sound of approval."My daddy is a work of art."

Spike didn't seem at all sheepish and unhesitatingly complied when she pulled him down into an embrace, tilting head her head so that he could burrow into her throat, purring happily.

"...i will tear you open and play _Coachman, Spare Your Horses_ on the lute of your entrails."Nostroyev's eyes bulged hotly as he sneered out his threat, he brandishing his weapon menacingly."Get out of my way."

Seemingly surrendering when he raised his hands, Angel slowly stepped to the side to let Nostroyev pass, and he did with a smug smile. But, as the Russian scanned him with a sneer while he sauntered off, passing Angel as he did, Angel rushed forward and punched Nostroyev hard.

The Russian doubled forward with a shrill shout of pain, but it was mostly embarrassment. Hitting him again before grabbing the axe out of his axe, Angel kneed the other vampire in the ribs as he snapped it in half before driving it through the vampire's heart.

"Oh..."Spike pursed his lips as Nostroyev groaned in pain before he burst into nothing but dust, his blue eyes watching as it flickered to the ground."Honestly, I expected a lot more from that."

Lottie hummed her agreement, reaching out and swiping at the dust."Dust to dust."

Angel rounded Lottie and Spike as he made his way to the middle of the room, garnering Prince of Lie's attention also. Angel stepped over the pile of dust, throwing aside the makeshift stake as he did, it clattering on the ground.

"We don't kill the humans 'til we reach land."Slowly trailing his eyes over them as he paced back and forth purposefully, Angel crossed his arms over his chest."Is that clear?"

Snorting derisively at Angel's tone, Spike glanced at the pile of dust with slight irritation before he huffed to himself with a scornful smile. But he nodded in agreement nevertheless, middle and pointer finger extended in a salute.

"Heil Hitler."

Lottie drew in a sharp clasp, swatting at Spike's hand with a disapproving growl.

"Daddy, that's offensive!"

At the tone Spike instantly shut his eyes for a moment with an exasperated exhale but keenly nodded as if he'd been demanded something. Lottie shook her head to and fro slowly, eyebrows raising expectantly as Spike's eyes slowly opened.

"Daddy's sorry, baby."

Spike's jaw clenched as he searched her dark orbs before, with a murmur of her name, he genuflected a few inches so that he was at her height. Bowing his head, the legendary vampire's hands raised surrender, looking prepared to let his knee meet the ground in a show of worship if need be.

"So very sorry."Spike tilted his head upwards a little when Lottie breathily called his name, her hand clasping his cheek."He's a bad, rude man."

"That's one way to put it."Angel murmured to himself as he scanned the strangers from head to toe, not noticing Lottie's head snapped in his direction."Add in repellent and irritating, and you've got yourself-"

It happened in slow motion, a hand rapidly thrusting out and in his direction but Angel barely had time to process it much less to avoid it. When he did, it was too late as he was no longer on the ground and he was finding it difficult to think of an attack let alone carry it out. Snarling as he resisted a groan when Lottie's fingers dug into his throat, pressing again his windpipe, something he didn't need but did aid in her intent to bruise him.

The toes of his shoes brushing against the ground, Angel glared down at Lottie with as much heat as he could convene. Lottie tilted her head when she read the pique in his eyes, corners of her lips quirking up in response, almost as a provocation. Spike's head slowly raised as he straightened to his full height, retreating from the pair to get a better view, and huffed out a chuckle when he heard a choke of pain escape his grandsire.

"Oh, no. Now you're on a time out. It's no fun and games where there's only one player."Lottie tutted, shaking her head, clearly not amused."You've been stuck, gone all topsy-turvy since she's danced all the way _home_."

"Darla-"

"Shh, you're on time out."Lottie silenced Angel by slamming him up against the nearest wall, hoisting him up higher when he let out a gagging choke."Mummy hushes Miss Edith for that, does she, daddy?"

Chiming in with a hum of agreement, Spike slouched against the opposite wall."She sure does."

Eyes shining in response to the pain as her choking resulted in him struggling to keep himself composed, Angel managed a heated glower directed at Lottie. Mustering all the strength he could, he did his damndest to pry or at least loosen her grip around his throat.

It did no good. If anything her grasp around his throat tightened.

"I wouldn't do that, mate; she's got a thing for roughhousing."Spike apprised with a nod of his head, the movement in time with Lottie who had done the same."It's best to play dead."

Prince of Lies let out a cackle of amusement, stood beside Spike who observed the scene playing out in front of him with a keen grin. He watched on too long in Angel's opinion, apparently getting some sick, resentful gratification from it. While he to some extent held respect for the elder vampire, he had wronged Spike in the past, and he'd take any chance to watch Angel get his rear end kicked.

It was only when he looked like he was about to lose touch with reality when Spike called for Lottie to go easy on Angel and, in response, she did just that.

"You can put him down now, love."Spike encouragingly murmured, palm resting against Lottie's lower back as he came up behind her."It's no fun when he's out cold. Besides, we do need the sod. He is family."

Having no opinion either way, Lottie straightened against his hand while staying her own and slowly nodded in acceptance before loosening her hold on Angel.

"All right."

Fingers brushing Angel's cheek almost fondly before ultimately releasing him, Lottie swiftly turned away from the male vampire who collapsed on the ground at Spike's feet with a resounding thump. Massaging his throat with a series of coughs, Angel was quickly up on his feet and positioned in a defensive stance, eyes trailing after Lottie who'd returned to Spike's side.

"Let's do this then, shall we?"

Merely glowering at the pair, Angel offered up no response to their question. His glare clouded with rage as he retreated, turning on his heel before storming off in the direction of the torpedo room.

Spike heartily chuckled when he heard Angel's indignant mutterings, swinging an arm over Lottie's shoulder and pulling her into his side once again. Lottie beamingly grinned to herself as Spike leaned down and pressed a firm kiss to her temple, smiling against her cheek.

"It's about time we get on home, don't you think?"

"Oh, yes."Lottie nodded avidly, following willingly as Spike tugged on her hand."Yes, _please_."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **I hope you enjoyed the flashback; I wanted to write more with the family. I find myself enjoying writing Lottie with them, particularly with Angel(us) if he's involved. Let me know if you would like more flashbacks.**

 **If you enjoy this story and want to read more,** ** _please leave a review._**


End file.
